A New Beginning
by LoisAndClarkSuperfan
Summary: Now that Dobie and Zelda have rekindled their romance, they have other challenges to face. Saying goodbye to the Gillis Grocery Store, helping their daughter settle into her new life in Central City, and settling into a life of retirement proves more challenging than they ever could have imagined. Will they be able to hold things together? A sequel to Be My Valentine.
1. Chapter 1

"That was…fun," Zelda said with a slight chuckle as she flipped on the lights in the house, sitting her purse on the table near the door.

"Okay…stop," Dobie sighed. He knew she was joking, but he really had tried to make their second honeymoon as special as the first one, even if it hadn't turned out the way he planned. "How was I supposed to know the place had gone downhill so much in forty years?"

Zelda smiled. They had remarried just a few days before, on what would have been their forty-fourth wedding anniversary, and Dobie had gone out of his way to make reservations at the same hotel a few towns away where they had spent their first honeymoon. It was sweet, but when they arrived to find the place old, broken down, and practically deserted they could do little more than laugh. "You're right," she kissed him on the cheek. "It was a sweet gesture. So what if they haven't updated the place in forty-four years…it was nostalgic."

Dobie laughed, "I don't think they'd changed the sheets in forty-four years." He put his arms around her and pulled her close to him, "It was nice spending that time with you though." He kissed her softly.

Zelda nodded, "_That_ was nice," she agreed. "The wedding was nice too." They walked hand in hand into the living room and sat next to each other on the sofa. She leaned her head on his shoulder, amazed at how much she had missed doing that over the last five years, and grateful for this second chance.

"It was…for a city hall ceremony," Dobie agreed.

Zelda looked at him with wide-eyes, "Our first wedding was at city hall, and you didn't mind that."

"I know," he nodded. "But I always wished you could have had something better…nicer."

"That's sweet," she smiled. "But as long as I was with you…the ceremony never mattered…not then or now."

He held her a little tighter, "Georgie seemed happy, didn't he? And the girls seemed in shock."

"Well it's not every day you see your grandparents get married," Zelda laughed. "And yeah…Georgie was happy. He was hurt by the divorce…more than anyone."

"I know," Dobie admitted. "I always felt awful that he was so hurt."

"Me too," Zelda sighed. "I wish Gwen could have come. I know she's busy closing out her office and getting ready for the move, but I missed her. It would have been nice to have her at the wedding."

"Yeah," Dobie agreed. Then he laughed, "But she was at our first wedding, so I guess it's not a big deal."

Zelda rolled her eyes, then she laughed. "Funny…" she joked. Then she leaned closer and kissed her husband again. Gently pulling away from the kiss she smiled, "I am so glad we got married again."

"So am I," Dobie smiled. He looked at his watch and sighed, "It's getting late," he motioned toward the stairs. "We should go to bed. Workers are coming to clear out the store tomorrow."

Zelda looked at him sadly. She knew closing the store was the right thing to do. They'd had no choice, and besides, now Gwen could use the space for her new office when she and her fiancé came home for good, but she also knew Dobie was heartbroken to say goodbye to the place. The going out of business sale hadn't been easy, but actually removing everything from the building…that was going to be worse. "Dobie," Zelda said softly. "I'm so sorry."

Dobie shook his head, "It's fine," he cleared his throat. "It was time. Besides, this is a way for Gwen to come home and you know how important it is to have her back."

"I know," Zelda agreed. "But I also know this is hard for you…it's hard for me. Heck, we spent most of our married lives running that store."

"And we'll spend the rest of our years together doing other things," Dobie said seriously. He took her hand and stood up slowly, "Now let's go to bed." As she followed him up the stairs, Zelda felt a knot in her stomach. Dobie was hurting and she knew it, and the fact that he refused to admit it worried her. He had been acting like closing the store was no big deal, and she knew his heart was breaking over the loss.


	2. Chapter 2

Dobie lay in bed, his eyes wide open. Zelda had fallen asleep pretty easily, but he had been laying awake for what felt like hours. He glanced at the clock and saw it wasn't very late after all. He wished his mind would stop wandering and let him fall asleep, but it didn't seem like that was going to happen any time soon.

He thought about their honeymoon, the one they'd just taken and the one so long ago. He really did have good intentions this time, even if it turned out to be less than perfect. The first time around they had been in awe of the plush, orange, shag carpet; the color television; and the telephone with free local calls right there in the room. This time the carpet was faded to a dirty rust color and matted down so much with years of grime that they were afraid to walk on it in their bare feet. The television was broken and the phone looked like it was possibly the exact same one from decades before, and they didn't need it now anyway since they both had cell phones. Seeing the disappointment on his wife's face as they walked into the hotel room, Dobie suggested they switch to the nearest motel chain, but Zelda had laughed and said they should just stay…for old time's sake. They were together and that was all that mattered anyway.

When Dobie thought about their first honeymoon, he had to admit it hadn't been perfect either. As soon as he had carried his young bride across the threshold, and the two of them were alone together in the room, they were both nervous and shy. Sure, they had been together once before, but for some reason being alone together in that hotel room as husband and wife felt overwhelming and scary. They ended up turning on the television and watching "The Dating Game" and "The Newlywed Game" and making small talk about how bright and lifelike the colors looked on the TV set. If anyone had ever said that Dobie Gillis would have spent his wedding night watching television, he would have laughed in their face, but that was what had happened. After they turned the TV off, Zelda said she didn't feel well and Dobie suspected she was just avoiding the inevitable, but he let her rest and decided to go for a walk. When he came back she was sound asleep and so that was how their first wedding night ended.

Dobie sighed thinking about that night. It hadn't been the romantic, passionate night he had hoped for and he had been worried at the time that maybe he and Zelda had made a mistake. Sure, they loved each other, but maybe their previous night of passion had resulted more from the alcohol at the New Year's Eve party than from their desire for one another. But the next day Zelda had apologized for ruining their night and confessed that she was self conscious about the way she looked; and Dobie admitted to being a little afraid of hurting her or the baby; and before long they both realized their fears were silly and they spent the rest of the weekend content to stay in bed and not turn on the fancy color television anymore. The weekend was over before they knew it, and in two days they were back working at the Gillis Grocery Store and settling into married life. It was two years before they found time to take another trip and leave the store, so their honeymoon always held a special place in their memories.

Dobie turned and looked at his wife, asleep next to him. He knew she was worried about him, and he hated to make her worry. This time, they had spent half of their honeymoon talking about what they would do without the store and Zelda had looked so sad whenever he mentioned not working there anymore. They had spent a lot of years together in that store. He knew she would miss it, but also that she was sad for him, not for herself. He didn't want her to be sad for him, especially not now when they were finally back together. He wanted her to be happy. That was why he couldn't admit how hard it was to say goodbye to the store, how much it hurt to know he had let his father's dream fade away when it had been his job to keep it alive. He felt a few tears sting his eyes, and he was glad his wife was asleep. Maybe he would spend the night thinking about what he was losing, but by morning he would put on a happy face and be grateful for what he had. Everything would be okay.


	3. Chapter 3

"Oh…" Dobie gasped unexpectedly as he walked into the store the following morning. They had finished the going out of business sale the week before and the shelves were cleared off, but being away from the place for just a few days seemed to make him forget the scene that lay ahead of him. It was as if he expected to walk into the same store he had entered everyday for the last seventy years, and now it was simply a shell of its former self and the sight was shocking.

"Georgie did a nice job cleaning up," Zelda said with a forced cheerfulness. Their son had volunteered to clean the place thoroughly before the workmen arrived to move out all of the shelves, freezers, and other appliances. He knew that might be too much for his parents to face, and they were grateful he had done the work while they were away for the weekend.

"Yes, he did," Dobie sighed. "I'm grateful too, because I know he's busy." He walked over to the cash register, delicately running his finger along the cold metal and then pushing the button that pushed out the cash drawer with a sharp "ding" of the bell. The drawer was empty, another sting that really shouldn't have been since he knew he had already cleared it out days earlier.

Zelda walked over to him and gently put her hand on his shoulder, giving it a delicate squeeze, "I know this isn't easy…"

Dobie pushed the drawer back in a little too hard and turned quickly to look at his wife, "Stop saying that!" he said harshly. "It's fine. It had to happen and we both know it. I'm not a child and I don't need you to console me over this. I understand how these things work. The economy tanked, we were losing money…heck even if we weren't…I'm seventy years old. I couldn't keep up with the pace of running things much longer anyway. Neither of the kids want this place…and I can't blame them. It's a lot of work…too much damn work! So don't stand there and act like I should be falling apart and you should be picking up the pieces…just give me a little more respect than that!" He turned and walked towards the stairs that led to the upstairs apartment.

"Dobie…I'm sorry…" Zelda called after him.

He looked at her and sighed, "It's fine…I'm fine…I just want to be alone for a while." He walked up the stairs, disappointed in the way he had yelled at his wife. His plan to put on a happy face had failed miserably.

Zelda watched him walk up the stairs and then glanced around the empty room. She still remembered coming back to the store after their first honeymoon. It was the first time she knew the place was just as much hers as Dobie's. They hadn't even gone home after their honeymoon weekend, and instead drove straight to the store so Dobie could fill some prescriptions and she could set up the produce displays for the week. Dobie said they'd missed too many days already and that customers were counting on them. She knew back then that this store was going to provide for their family, was going to help them all grow closer, and it had. She'd loved working with Dobie, with his parents…and after her in-laws had decided not to work in the store any longer, she and Dobie had work diligently together to make the place a success. Georgie and Gwen had grown up there too. She could still see Gwen curled up in the back room with a book and Dobie pulling Georgie's hand away from the register when he'd try to sneak some money for a date. This wasn't just a store…it was a part of their family. She looked down at the cash register and opened it, listening to the "ding." Then she wiped a tear from her cheek and hoped the workmen would hurry.


	4. Chapter 4

It was a gray, drizzly spring morning in 1968 when Dobie and Zelda drove back to Central City after their honeymoon. The short vacation had only lasted the weekend, but after the first night when the newlyweds had felt nervous and unsure, the rest of the time had been a dream come true. They both hated to see it end and as they drove down the highway toward home, Zelda leaned her head on her husband's shoulder and sighed, "That was a great trip," she smiled. "Thanks…for taking care of everything."

Dobie took one hand off the wheel and put his arm around her, "It was fun. I know it wasn't a big, fancy vacation…but it was nice to get away for a couple of days."

"I don't need a fancy vacation," Zelda said seriously. "All I've ever needed is you."

"Zelda…" Dobie said softly, but then he didn't finish his thought. He wished she wouldn't say things like that. It was a lot of pressure…like she'd always had him on a pedestal and now that they were married, he wasn't sure he could live up to it.

"What?" she looked up at him and smiled.

"Nothing really," he smiled back at her. "I was just thinking we should head straight to the store. My parents have been working by themselves all weekend and I know Dad needs a rest. Besides, I have to get back to the pharmacy or there will be a lot of angry customers."

"Okay," Zelda said, slightly disappointed. She really didn't feel like going straight to the store from their trip. She'd hoped for a little time at the apartment to unpack and change clothes. She put her hand gently on the slight swell of her stomach. Her clothes were uncomfortable. Her white button-up blouse was pulled tight around her, and she had left the bottom two buttons undone. Her blue skirt had an elastic waist, but it was rubbing irritably against her skin. She didn't feel like wearing them all day at the store, but she didn't want to tell her new husband that she was so miserable. Besides, she wasn't sure any of her other clothes would fit much better.

"Are you okay?" Dobie asked, noticing she was suddenly quiet.

"I'm fine," she assured him.

"Are you sure?" he asked with concern. "You don't look okay. Do you want me to take you home?"

Zelda shook her head, "No…I'm fine. I want to give your parents a break at the store. It was nice of them to do everything while we were gone."

"I don't want you overdoing things though," Dobie insisted. "Maybe you should talk to the doctor about working at the store…maybe it's not a good idea…"

"Dobie, it's fine," Zelda laughed. "Believe me. I am not going to overdo things. I've been working there with no problems."

"I know but…" Dobie stopped himself. He didn't want to say something that would upset her. Her emotions had been all over the place for weeks and he didn't want her take anything he said the wrong way.

"But what?" Zelda asked, a twinge of irritation in her voice.

"I just thought maybe…you might be a little more tired now," Dobie added. "That's all. And if you're tired, you should be resting…not working in the store."

"Why do you think I'm more tired now?" Zelda asked.

"I just thought…you know," he glanced at her hand on the swell of her stomach, "the baby's getting bigger…maybe that's taking more out of you."

"So, you think I'm tired because I'm fat…because I'm carrying around a lot of weight?" Zelda asked sarcastically. "Because you're wrong…I've only gained seven pounds. The doctor said that's normal. I just look bigger because my torso is short…I told you that before." She looked like she was going to cry and that was what Dobie was afraid might happen. He didn't think she was fat at all; he just thought she was tired and he knew she'd overreact to anything he tried to say. He wished he had kept his mouth shut. "I have to go to the bathroom," Zelda said tearfully. "Right now…"

Dobie pulled into a service station on the side of the road. "I do _not_ think you're fat," he said sincerely, and he wondered how many times over the next few months he would have to utter those same words to his hormonal wife. "I didn't say that."

Zelda opened the door of the truck and climbed down, ignoring her husband. Stepping into a puddle she screamed with irritation, "Great! Just great!"

Dobie got out of the truck and walked around to where his wife was standing in the drizzle, her feet wet from the puddle. "Calm down," he pulled her close to him and held her while she cried. He looked at her and smiled weakly, "Your shoes will dry…I promise." He kissed her softly on her forehead and wiped away some of the mascara that was running down her wet cheeks.

"I'm sorry…" Zelda sobbed. "I don't know why I keep doing this. You're being so sweet, and I'm a mess."

"You're not a mess," Dobie kissed her again.

"I hate how I look," Zelda sniffled. "None of my clothes fit. And I _am_ tired…really tired." She put her hand to her stomach and sighed, "You shouldn't have to start married life with a fat, cranky, exhausted wife…"

Dobie put his hand on top of hers, "Hey…I'm the one who should be saying I'm sorry. You shouldn't be feeling like this…I should be making things as easy as possible for you."

"You are," Zelda assured him. "You really are. I'm just…I don't know…"

Dobie smiled, "You're pregnant. It's that simple. And I can put up with the crankiness," he winked at her, "It's part of my job..." he kissed her softly. "What do you say we go home?"

Zelda shook her head, "No…we're going to the store. I want to…it's our store…we need to make sure things are running smoothly."

"Are you sure?" Dobie asked. "Cause I can take you home."

"I'm sure," Zelda nodded. "But I _do_ have to go to the bathroom. The baby is sitting on my bladder and I can't stand it anymore." She ran off towards the service station and Dobie climbed back into the truck to wait for her. As he sat there alone, he wondered if he could handle being a husband and father. In only a few short days, he already felt like he was failing miserably. He couldn't wait to get back to the store. For the time being, it was the only place where he felt like he wasn't messing everything up.


	5. Chapter 5

"Oh, you're back…" Winifred Gillis ran from her spot at the cash register and hugged her son. "Did you have a nice time?"

Dobie smiled, "Yes Mom…very nice."

"I'm so glad," she smiled. "Herbert…" She called towards the back room. "The kids are back." She turned towards Zelda and hugged her close, "Oh honey, you're sopping wet."

"I accidently stepped into a puddle…and it was raining…and…" Zelda tried to explain but was interrupted by her mother-in-law.

"Let's get you upstairs," Winnie said eagerly. "You can dry off." She turned to her son, "Dobie…why didn't you take her home? She could catch her death of cold…that wouldn't be good for her or the baby…"

"Mom, she wanted to come here," Dobie insisted.

"I did, Mrs. Gillis," Zelda agreed. "Dobie offered to take me home."

Herbert Gillis walked into the store from the back room and grinned at his son, "So…there are the newlyweds." He gave Dobie a sly grin, "Nice honeymoon?"

Dobie gave an embarrassed sigh, "It was good, Dad." He walked past his father and headed to the pharmacy area to look at the prescriptions he needed to fill. Winnie and Zelda headed upstairs, but Zelda stopped to give her husband a quick kiss before she followed her mother-in-law. Dobie winked at her, both of them knowing his mother was going to be completely overbearing until the baby was born, and probably afterward. Then he watched them walk upstairs.

"So…" Herbert walked over to where his son was beginning to put small pills in a bottle. "Was the honeymoon everything you hoped it'd be? I know you two already had experience, but…"

"Dad!" Dobie was uncomfortable with the conversation. "It was fine. We stayed at a really nice place. We ate some really good food. They even had a color television."

"A color television?" Herbert said with shock and disgust. "Don't tell me my son spent his honeymoon watching TV. Dobie…"

"Dad…we had a good time and I'm not going into any more detail than that," Dobie said seriously. "I have more respect for my marriage than to go into intimate details like that."

"Okay…okay, I understand," Herbert gave in. "I guess I should get upstairs. Your mother's been on me all morning to take a rest. I've missed running the store though. Since you took it over…I have too much time on my hands."

Dobie watched as his father walked upstairs. He wondered if his dad felt lost without the store. It had been his life for years, and just because the heart-attack had slowed him down didn't mean he didn't long to get back to the day to day hustle and bustle. Dobie felt guilty for taking it away from him. He knew he had to find a way to help his dad feel more involved.

"You okay?" Zelda asked, standing at the bottom of the stairs. Her hair was down, still damp from the rain and she had changed out of her wet shoes into some slippers. "You look like you're worried about something?"

Dobie shook his head, "No…just thinking of all the work we need to get done around here."

"I'll get started on the produce," Zelda offered as she walked over to some boxes marked with fruit and vegetable labels. She picked up a crate and sat it on the counter, then started filling the vegetable bins.

"What are you doing?" Dobie rushed over to her. "You can't go around lifting boxes like that! They're way too heavy."

Zelda looked up at him, "That box is not very heavy. I promise."

Dobie put his hand softly on her stomach, "Just let me lift the boxes for you…okay? Then you can fill the bins." He wrinkled his nose at her, the way she used to do to him when they were younger. Now it was just a playful way of keeping her from arguing with him, but it worked because she wrinkled her nose back at him and laughed.

"You're not going to get much done in the pharmacy if you have to keep coming over here to lift boxes for me," Zelda reminded him. She put her hand on top of his, still resting on her stomach.

"Tell me when you need the next box," Dobie insisted. He patted her stomach softly and kissed her teasingly on the nose. Zelda smiled, thinking about how unbelievably sweet he was being. Dobie went back to his pharmacy work, and she continued to fill the produce bins. Maybe she hadn't felt like working in the store that day, but she was glad to be there. Not many women were lucky enough to work side by side with their husbands every day. It was a blessing, and she wanted to always remember that.


	6. Chapter 6

"Dobie," Zelda knocked softly on the door to the upstairs apartment. She knew she didn't have to knock, but she felt he deserved some notice that she was there before she interrupted him. She pushed the door open with a creak and saw her husband sitting on a large packing crate in the middle of the living room. They had moved all the old furniture out a few weeks ago and had been working on painting the dingy walls a soft yellow that Gwen had picked out. The room looked more cheerful than it had in years, and she couldn't help but notice her husband seemed like a cloud of gloom sitting in the otherwise bright room. "The workmen are here…" she said in a whisper.

Dobie nodded, "I'm sorry…about what I said downstairs. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."

Zelda walked over to him and sat beside him on the packing crate, "It's okay," she said gently. "I can take it." She leaned her head on his shoulder and took his hand in hers. He squeezed her hand gently and she sighed, "Do you want to go down and deal with them, or do you want me to do it?"

"I'll go," Dobie took a deep breath. "I need to do this." He stood up from the crate, his knees hurting from sitting so long. "Come with me?" he said pleadingly.

Zelda nodded and stood, still holding his hand, "It's going to be okay." They walked toward the door, "We'll have lots of things to keep us busy without the store. Heck, we have three grandchildren and another one on the way…we can spend as much time with them as we want now."

Dobie smiled, "Is that what you've done for the last five years…when we were divorced. Hang out with the grandkids so they would love you more than me?" He laughed.

"You know it," Zelda laughed. "I didn't become their favorite grandparent overnight you know…I had to compete with you _and_ the Osbornes. You giving them free candy any time they walked into the store, and Chatsworth and Rochelle throwing expensive gifts at them all the time…I'm lucky I had time to spend with them or they'd probably not even know I exist."

"They did like the free candy," Dobie said with a slight chuckle. For a brief second he felt a sense of grief thinking that he wouldn't be able to spoil his two new grandchildren that way, but he thought about what Zelda had said about spending time with them, and he knew that was going to be much better than buying their love with sugar anyway. "You didn't have to compete, you know? They love you because they can see how much _you_ love _them_. You were always the best mother…and now you're the perfect grandmother."

"You're going to make me cry," Zelda said sincerely. Dobie put his arm around her and they walked down the stairs to the store. Watching as the workers took apart the shelves, Zelda knew that even though the store was no longer a part of their day to day lives, it would always be alive in their hearts.

Dobie talked to some of the workers, giving them directions for what was to go and what was going to stay. He had made a deal with a second hand store in town. Everything was going to be moved there, and then the store would mail a check for how much they decided the items were worth. He figured it didn't really matter how much they paid him. He had to get the things out of the building, and he didn't have time to try to sell it all himself. This was the easiest way.

In a few hours the place was pretty bare. Dobie and Zelda stood hand in hand, looking at the place where they had spent so much of their married life and it was nothing but a shell of its former self.

"Mr. Gillis," one of the workers, a young man in his twenties walked up to him. "We're about finished. Is there anything else you want done?"

"No…thank you," Dobie answered. "You guys did a great job." He watched as another worker walked over to the cash register and picked it up. It was the only thing left in the room to signal the place had ever been the Gillis Grocery Store. Watching it go onto the moving truck was too much. "No!" Dobie said quickly and he rushed over to the man who was moving it. "Just leave that…okay? I think we'll keep it." He turned to Zelda, pretty sure she was looking at him with pity again, but not really caring. "Maybe Gwen can use it…in her law office," he suggested.

"Maybe," Zelda agreed sympathetically.

"Probably not," Dobie said sadly. He looked at the workman, "Just take it."

The man picked it up but before he could get to the door Zelda stopped him, "No…we're going to keep it." The workman looked confused but sat it back down and walked out the door before they could change their minds again. Zelda smiled at Dobie, "If Gwen doesn't want it…we can put it somewhere at home. I have a lot of memories attached to that thing." Dobie put his arms around her and they held each other close as the moving truck pulled away from the curb.


	7. Chapter 7

"Guess this means I am officially retired," Dobie said with a sigh. It had been hard to leave the store that morning, but looking at the empty shell of a building had been difficult too. Besides, there was nothing left to do there, so Zelda had insisted they come home and Dobie was grateful not to have to stare at the empty store any longer. He sat down on the living room sofa, "What am I going to do with all this spare time?"

Zelda sat next to him, "You'll find things to do," she said. "Trust me. I haven't worked there in five years and I have plenty of things to do. Babysitting for Georgie and Chatsy, volunteering at Gracie's school, fixing things around the house. I know!" She teased, "You can learn how to use Facebook and spend your days working on a virtual farm or fighting the mafia or something." Dobie looked at her in disbelief and she laughed picking up a knitting project she had been working on and started moving the needles back and forth, "If you're really bored you can always take up some kind of hobby."

Dobie looked at her knitting needles and cringed. She had been knitting him sweaters since high school and he hated every one of them. He didn't like sweaters…never had…but Zelda insisted on making them for him. "Is that for me?" he asked with a groan. The yarn was pale yellow and he couldn't help but think he'd look like a giant baby chick in that thing. "I don't need another sweater."

Zelda laughed, "It's not a sweater." She knew Dobie hated the sweaters she made him. When they were teenagers she knitted him sweaters because she thought eventually he would grow to appreciate the love that went into them. Plus, she thought he looked really handsome in sweaters. Over the years she had continued to knit them mostly out of habit and because even though she knew he didn't like them, she held onto the hope that she'd eventually make one he would love and want to wear all the time. That had never happened. "It's a blanket," she smiled. "For Gwen's baby."

"Oh," Dobie said, slightly embarrassed. He should have known the soft yellow was meant for a baby. "That will be cute." Zelda had knitted blankets for their other grandchildren as well. Greta had a pink and white one, Gracie's was pale lavender, and little Dobie's blanket was blue and yellow. Usually she waited until the baby's gender was announced, and asked what color they wanted for the blanket, but he figured she was just eager this time. After all, Gwen's baby was an extra special surprise. "Did you ask Gwen if she wanted a yellow blanket?"

Zelda nodded, "She said she wanted a blanket like the one your mom made for her when she was a baby." Zelda looked at the beginnings of the blanket and sighed, "I'm doing my best to remember the pattern. It's been a long time."

"Gwen used to take that blanket everywhere," Dobie smiled at the memory. "My mom was really proud of that…that Gwen loved her blanket that much."

"I know," Zelda leaned her head on his shoulder. Sometimes it was hard to believe his mother had been gone for nearly thirty years. Their relationship had gotten off to a rough start, but Winifred Gillis had ended up becoming one of her best friends. Sometimes she missed her mother-in-law terribly. "Remember when Gwen tried to take that thing to kindergarten with her and her teacher wouldn't let her? I thought your mother was going to start a brawl up at the elementary school."

"Yeah, she was always pretty mild-mannered…unless someone messed with her family," Dobie laughed. "You didn't think it was funny at the time, though…remember? You were furious with her for causing trouble at the school."

"I just wanted our daughter to do well…and I was afraid if your mom made the teacher mad she'd take it out on Gwen," Zelda explained. "I overreacted."

"Well, the teacher did give in and let her take it to school as long as she left it in the coat closet," Dobie reminded her. "Of course that didn't stop all the other kids from teasing her about it. When she'd come home crying, it just broke my heart. And I know it drove you nuts that you couldn't convince her to give up that blanket…even when kids were being mean to her about it. She was such a stubborn little thing…"

"I just hated to see her hurting," Zelda added. "But she _did_ give it up…eventually." She remembered that her mother-in-law had picked her daughter up from school that day. Gwen walked into the store and announced she wasn't taking her blanket to school anymore. Zelda had assumed the other children's teasing had finally become too much for the five year old, but later that night she noticed the blanket sitting in her in-laws' apartment. When she asked about it, Winifred explained that she had asked Gwen for the blanket. That she had told her granddaughter that she missed her when she was at school and would like the blanket to help her feel closer to her while she was gone. Gwen was eager to make her grandma happy and had given it to her. Zelda had never been more grateful to her mother-in-law. And years later, when they were preparing for Winifred's funeral, fifteen year old Gwen found the blanket in her grandmother's closet. She insisted they bury it with her so she wouldn't feel alone. Thinking about it still brought tears to Zelda's eyes.

"Are you okay?" Dobie asked, noticing the sadness in her eyes. "Are you crying?"

"I'm fine," Zelda insisted. "Just thinking about the past." She forced a smile and put down her knitting needles. "What do you say I teach you how to use Facebook?" she laughed. "You can shock Greta by sending her a friend request." They both laughed at the thought.


	8. Chapter 8

"Mom," Dobie walked upstairs to his parents' apartment. He saw his mother standing at the kitchen sink washing the breakfast dishes. "Mom…I need you to do me a favor."

Winifred Gillis turned off the water and looked at her son, wiping her wet hands on her apron, "Of course Dobie. What do you need?"

"I need you to take Zelda shopping," Dobie said in a whisper, for fear his wife might hear him even though he knew she was down in the store. "For clothes…you know…ones that will fit her."

Winifred smiled, "Maternity clothes?" she asked. "Dobie…I'm sure she doesn't want her mother-in-law tagging along while she shops. Maybe she'd rather have her own mother go along?"

"You know how Mrs. Gilroy is," Dobie sighed. "Besides, the Gilroys have barely said two words to her since we got married. And she needs help…" he pulled out some money and tried to give it her, but she wouldn't take it. "I tried to get her to go, but she just thought I was saying she was fat." He rolled his eyes, "Please…convince her to go?"

"Dobie, if she doesn't want to go she must have her reasons," Winifred insisted as she began wiping the kitchen counters. "Maybe she's just not ready. This has to be hard for her. You've only been married a few of weeks and if she starts wearing maternity clothes everyone will know she was pregnant before the wedding."

"Everyone knows that now," Dobie insisted. "I know it's hard for her…but Mom, she can't fit into any of her clothes. She spent an hour this morning in tears trying to find something to wear…and do you know what she ended up with?" He watched as his mother shook her head. "_My_ old high school gym clothes!" Dobie groaned.

Winifred laughed in disbelief, "Don't be ridiculous! How could she possibly wear those? They'd be far too big."

"I don't know," Dobie cringed. "The shirt goes to her knees and the sweat pants are rolled up about a million times. Mom…please?" He handed the money out towards her again.

"Okay," Winifred took the money. "I'll see what I can do." She headed downstairs and Dobie followed her. He watched as his mother headed over towards his wife who was rearranging a display of canned goods. He was glad to see a customer come in so he could focus on filling her order and leave Zelda to his mother.

"Zelda dear," Winifred said softly. She looked at her daughter-in-law, dressed in oversized sweats and smiled, "I need to do some shopping today…would you like to come with me?"

Zelda shook her head, "No thank you," she answered. "I have a lot to do today. We have a big order to fill for the Osborne barbecue tomorrow and I should get started on it."

"Are you and Dobie going to the barbecue?" Winifred asked. "Were you invited?"

Zelda shrugged, "We were invited, but I don't think we're going."

"Why not?" Winifred asked.

"Because…" Zelda sighed. "Chatsworth only invited us so he could show off his new fiancée. She's some European model. I'm sure I'll meet her eventually, so we don't need to go to some party at the Osborne mansion for that. Besides…everything they have there is so fancy, even barbecues…and I don't feel like getting dressed up for it."

Winifred looked at her daughter-in-law's attire and smiled, "You don't think you could wear old gym clothes?"

Zelda looked down at her clothes and sighed, "Probably not," she admitted. "And I'm too fat for all my other clothes."

"Oh honey," Winifred looked at her sweetly. "You look adorable." She reached out and patted her stomach gently. "The baby just needs room to grow."

"The baby is growing faster than I expected," Zelda said tearfully. "Everybody knows…"

Winifred nodded, "Yes…everybody knows. But it's not the end of the world. And if everybody already knows…you might as well be comfortable."

"Mrs. Gillis," Zelda asked in a whisper, "Did Dobie ask you to take me shopping? Be honest…"

Winifred looked unsure of what to say, "Well…"

Zelda nodded, "He did…I knew it."

"Honey, he just wants you to be happy," Winifred explained. "And he wants to take care of you…and the baby…"

Zelda shook her head, "He thinks I look awful. I know I'm not some raving beauty…but I really did try to make myself look nice for him. And now, it doesn't matter how much makeup I wear, or if I curl my hair, or wear perfume…none of my clothes fit, and my feet are swollen after working in the store all day, and I'm just a mess…" she began to sob.

Winifred reached out and hugged her daughter-in-law close to her, "Everything's going to be all right," she said gently. Dobie immediately noticed his wife's tears and started toward them, but his mother motioned for him to stay away. He would only make things worse right now. "Dobie loves you," Winifred said convincingly. "Zelda, when you were kids…I thought you were too pushy with Dobie. And you were…you'll realize that someday when you have a son of your own. But honey…I think I always knew Dobie would end up with you. There was just something…I could tell back then that he liked you more than he let on. And when he moved back here to run the store…the first person he asked about was you. I was afraid maybe he had waited too long to tell you how he felt, but I was so glad when he told me you two were a couple."

"You weren't happy about the baby," Zelda said honestly.

"You're right," Winifred admitted. "I love my grandbaby…but I was disappointed that you were pregnant before the wedding. Because I know how people talk, and I didn't want you or Dobie to be hurt."

"Do you think Dobie married me because of the baby?" Zelda asked honestly.

"What?" Winifred was surprised by the question. "Dobie said he asked you before he knew about the baby."

"He did," Zelda wiped a few tears from her cheeks. "But, in the back of my mind…I can't help thinking he might have backed out of marrying me if it wasn't for the baby. He might have changed his mind. Maybe he feels trapped. Maybe he'd rather be with some European model like Chatsworth's fiancée…or maybe he'd just prefer to be alone…"

"Zelda," Winifred reassured her. "Honey…your hormones have gotten the best of you. Dobie wanted to marry _you_. He doesn't want to be alone, or with some other girl…he loves you."

"Sometimes, I think other people will assume he only married me because of the baby," Zelda admitted. "That they'll pity him for being stuck with me…or look at me like I'm ruining his life."

"Other people will think what they're going to think…no matter what you say or do," Winifred reminded her. "You can't live your life worried about what other people think. Besides," she smiled. "If that's what other people think…they're not very smart people. Anyone can see how much Dobie loves you…just by looking at him."

"Thanks," Zelda wiped away a few remaining tears on her cheeks and forced a smile. She looked over to where Dobie was ringing up a customer and then back at her mother-in-law. "I guess I could do a little shopping." The customer left, and Zelda walked over to her husband and he put his arms around her while she leaned into his chest.

"Why were you crying?" Dobie asked sincerely.

"I don't really know," Zelda admitted. "I just felt sad."

Dobie rubbed her back, "Are you feeling sick?" he asked with worry. "Do you want to go home and rest?"

Zelda shook her head, "I feel fine," she smiled and kissed him. "I'm going shopping with your mom and I'll be back later. I love you."

"I love you too," Dobie kissed her again and then watched as his wife and mother walked out of the store. He wished he knew what they had been talking about that had his wife so upset, but he was also grateful his mother had been there to help. Seeing her hug his wife with genuine affection left him hopeful that things were going to be okay.


	9. Chapter 9

"Now…that wasn't so bad, was it?" Winifred Gillis asked her daughter-in-law as they walked out of the department store. "I think you'll feel better with new clothes."

"Maybe," Zelda sighed. She hated shopping, especially now. She knew the maternity dresses she'd tried on looked horrible, but they did feel more comfortable than her own clothes that she could barely squeeze into anymore, and she knew she couldn't wear Dobie's old gym clothes forever.

"You looked very pretty in them," Winifred reassured her as they walked down the sidewalk. "Especially the pink one. You were just glowing in that one." She smiled, "You know…my mother used to always say if a woman looked best in pink when she was expecting a baby…that meant the baby was a girl."

Zelda had to laugh, "That doesn't even make sense," she insisted.

"Well," Winifred shrugged. "My mother had a lot of strange superstitions like that." Her eyes twinkled with excitement, "Wouldn't it be nice if the baby was a girl though? I always wanted a little girl…"

"I think Dobie would be happier with a boy," Zelda said honestly. "He says it doesn't matter, but I think he really wants a boy. I don't want him to be disappointed."

"All men want a boy," Winifred said seriously. "Until they see their little girl. Trust me on this."

Zelda shook her head, "That's not true. My dad always wanted a boy…and he never got one. He's still disappointed."

"I think he's the exception," Winifred tried to make her feel better. She stopped in front of a fabric store and motioned toward the door, "Let's go in here. I need to get some yarn if I'm going to start knitting a blanket for my new grandbaby."

They walked inside and over to the yarn. A rainbow of colors lined the wall. "What color are you getting?" Zelda asked.

"Dobie said you wanted yellow," Winifred answered as she looked over a few shades of the color. She looked up at her daughter-in-law, "Is that okay? We can get something else. How about pink?"

Zelda shook her head, "No…I'd hate for you to go to all that trouble if the baby isn't a girl. I like yellow. It'll be perfect for a boy or a girl."

"Yellow then," Winifred said gently. She picked up two different shades and looked them over. "Which one do you like better?"

Zelda pointed to the lighter one. It looked soft and for a brief second she could picture wrapping her new baby up in the blanket and it made her smile. "This one. It's perfect. I love it."

"Me too," Winifred agreed and then she went to pay for it. As they got to the door, she noticed Zelda stop and grab hold of the doorframe. "Honey…are you okay?" She quickly put her arm around her daughter-in-law to help steady her.

Zelda shook her head slowly, "I don't feel very well," she admitted as she took a slow breath. "This happens once in a while. I just feel sort of dizzy and sick. It'll pass in a minute. It always does."

Winifred held her tighter. "Does this happen a lot?"

Zelda shook her head. She was starting to feel a little better and she felt guilty for worrying her mother-in-law. "Just once in a while. It's not a big deal. It usually happens when I haven't eaten in a while."

"Well when did you eat last?" Winifred asked, still concerned. Zelda had been pale and shaky, but she was getting her color back at least.

"I don't know. This morning," Zelda answered. "I was a little queasy, so I just had toast. I guess maybe that wasn't enough."

"Well, it's almost noon," Winifred looked at her watch and then back at her daughter-in-law. "We are going to eat lunch…right now." They headed across the street to a small café. As they sat down she looked seriously, "You know you have to take better care of yourself," she said gently. "You need to eat more. The baby needs you to eat."

"I try," Zelda explained. "But I'm still sick most mornings. The doctor said it would go away, but it hasn't completely. I don't throw up everyday like I did at first, but I'm still so nauseous I want to just curl up and die."

The waitress came over and took their orders. They both ordered the meatloaf special, and as the waitress walked away, Winifred looked seriously at her daughter-in-law. "If you're that sick…why do you come to the store every day? Honey, you should be home in bed."

Zelda shook her head, "I don't want to be like that." Her eyes were teary and she didn't want to cry. "My mom had eight babies, and she'd never lay around in bed all day. She kept things going. My dad would have been furious if she hadn't." She wiped away a tear that was sliding down her cheek. "I don't want Dobie to think I can't take care of things…that I'm not helpful to him…or that I'm a burden."

"He has no idea you're this sick…does he?" Winifred asked sadly.

Zelda shook her head, "He knows I get sick _sometimes_. If I actually throw up…I can't really hide that. Early on I couldn't hide it at all, and he was so worried about me. But since the wedding, mostly I'm just queasy and tired and dizzy…he doesn't need to know that. He'd just worry more."

"Of course he does," Winifred argued. "He's your husband…and this is _his_ baby too."

The waitress brought over their food. She could tell their conversation was intense, so she left their plates and didn't say a word.

"I am fine," Zelda insisted. "I don't need to bother him just because I don't feel well sometimes. There's nothing he could do anyway." She took a bite of her mashed potatoes, hoping their conversation would be over now that the food had arrived.

"He could help you," Winifred replied. "He could bring you gingerale, or crackers, or put a cold compress on your head. All of those things can help with morning sickness. He could take care of you."

"I don't want him to take care of me!" Zelda yelled, a little louder than she meant to. "I can take care of myself. I've always taken care of myself. In fact, I used to take care of myself _and_ him. When we were younger…he needed _me_. I helped him with his homework, helped him get through junior college, got him out of more binds than you can even imagine." Her tears were staining her cheeks and she tried to wipe them away, but they kept flowing. She couldn't stop.

"Zelda…I know you've done a lot for Dobie over the years," Winifred admitted, worried by Zelda's hysterics. "He knows it too. So why can't you just let him help you for a while. Especially now…"

"Because…he doesn't need me anymore," Zelda sobbed. "I used to always think Dobie would eventually fall in love with me because he'd always need me to be there, to help him…but now…"

"He does need you," Winifred said gently. "You're his wife."

Zelda shook her head, "He doesn't. He went to college and he can run the whole pharmacy without me. Heck, I don't even understand what he's doing. He makes all the money. He pays all the bills. He doesn't even have Maynard to get him into trouble anymore. The only thing he needs me for now is working in the store…and if I say I'm too sick for that…"

"Oh…no…" Winifred looked sadly at her daughter-in-law. She knew Zelda had been moody lately, but she had attributed it mostly to hormones. But now, she wondered if it was really something much worse. "Zelda, honey…Dobie does need you. He loves you."

"I know he does," Zelda sniffled. "But I don't want him to feel like I'm a burden to him. I want him to know I am pulling my weight. That he can depend on me."

"He does know he can depend on you," Winifred smiled slightly. "You've always been there for him…you know that and so does he. But honey…right now…you're working on something much more important that taking care of the store. You are growing a little person…someone who is important to every member of this family…and no one can do that but you. So if you have to stop and let Dobie take care of you for a while, then let him. It's the only way he can help bring this little miracle into the world."

Zelda looked into her mother-in-law's eyes and she was overwhelmed by her compassion. She was right, and Zelda knew it. Dobie did love her and he loved the baby and he deserved the chance to take care of them. "I'm sorry," she swallowed the lump in her throat. "All I ever wanted out of life was to marry Dobie," she admitted sadly. "And now…I guess I don't really know how to be a wife."

"Honey," Winifred grabbed her hand and squeezed it, "No one knows at first. You've been married less than a month. You'll get better at it, and he'll get better at being a husband, and together you'll learn how to be parents. Trust me."

Zelda nodded, and hoped her mother-in-law was right.


	10. Chapter 10

"What are you doing?" Zelda asked as she walked downstairs and saw her husband mesmerized by the computer screen. "It's almost midnight."

"I know," Dobie answered quickly. It had been almost a month since they had watched as the workmen cleaned out the store and while he did enjoy spending more time at home with his wife and playing with his grandchildren, he was often bored and had started having trouble sleeping. Since Zelda had taught him how to use facebook, he found himself spending more and more time there. He didn't get into the online games and clubs, but he did enjoy visiting his granddaughter's page and seeing what she and her friends were up to. Sometimes it was shocking. He also enjoyed chatting with his daughter, which was what he was doing when Zelda had come downstairs. "Gwen just posted some new pictures on facebook," he said.

"Oh, let me see," Zelda said eagerly as she looked over his shoulder. She knew her daughter would be back in Central City in less than a month, but she couldn't wait. It seemed to be taking forever. "I just want her home," she sighed. She clicked through the pictures, most of which were candid shots of her nearly-completed packing for the move. "Looks like she's about done with the packing," she smiled as she stopped on a picture of Gwen and her fiancé. "I hope they're happy here."

"Why wouldn't they be?" Dobie asked seriously. "Central City is a nice place. We've lived here out whole lives."

"I know," Zelda paused. "But Gwen…I just don't know if she can settle down and enjoy the small town life. She's been in the city for so long. She never seemed to want to have a life here."

"She never seemed like she wanted children either," Dobie reminded her, "But she changed her mind about that."

Zelda smiled, "She's starting to show," she pointed to the picture on the screen. "In the picture…you can tell." She sighed, "I just want her home. I want to spoil my only daughter while she's carrying my grandchild."

Dobie kissed her on the cheek, "She'll be here soon enough…and I have no doubt you'll be spoiling her in no time." He laughed. "She may not want you hovering all around her, you know. She may just want to do things her own way."

"I don't care," Zelda insisted. "I'm her mother…she's going to include me in this."

Dobie laughed, "Whether she wants to or not, right?"

"Don't be like that," Zelda snickered. "I'm just excited to have her home…excited about the baby…"

"I know," Dobie said gently. "You're excited. So am I. Let's just try not to overwhelm her…okay?" Zelda nodded and he clicked over to his granddaughter's page. "Do you ever get on Greta's facebook page?" Dobie asked seriously. "What is an emo boy?"

Zelda looked at her granddaughter's latest post, "I love emo boys" and shook her head, "I don't think you want to know," she answered. "Let's just hope it's a phase."

"Seriously," Dobie asked his wife with concern, "Why does she post so many weird things on here? I'm worried about her."

"She's sixteen," Zelda reminded him. "Half of what she posts she doesn't understand and the other half is for shock value. She's a good girl, and she's smart. She'll be okay."

"I hope so," Dobie sighed and shut down the computer. "Let's go to bed." He took her hand and Zelda kissed him one last time as they headed toward the stairs.


	11. Chapter 11

"I just talked to Gwen," Dobie said as he sat down at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee the following morning. "She said they may be here as early as next week."

"What?" Zelda asked eagerly. She put a plate of toast and fruit in front of her husband and then sat down in front of her own plate. "Why did they change their plans? Is something wrong? Why didn't she call _me_?"

"Nothing's wrong," Dobie assured her. "She just said they'd like to get settled and it didn't take as long to tie up loose ends at the law firm as she thought it would."

"Well why didn't she call me?" Zelda asked again as she sipped her coffee.

"I don't know," Dobie answered, a hint of irritation in his voice. "Can't she call her father once in a while?"

"Of course she can," Zelda sighed. "It's just…you've been chatting with her on facebook, and now she calls you instead of me…I always thought Gwen and I were really close, but it seems like she's avoiding me."

"She called the house phone," Dobie replied gently. "She didn't know who would answer."

"But she didn't ask to talk to me," Zelda said sadly. "She always asks to talk to me. Something is wrong…"

"Nothing is wrong," Dobie insisted. "Honey…maybe you're just being a little overbearing…"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Zelda asked irritably. "I am _not_ overbearing."

"You are excited about the wedding…you're excited about the baby…" Dobie reminded her.

"I'm _excited_…not overbearing," Zelda said seriously.

"She said you emailed her a bunch of statistics on things that can go wrong with pregnancy in women over forty," Dobie cringed. "Why the hell would you do that? It scared her to death."

"I didn't mean to scare her," Zelda insisted. "But I'm worried about her. I want to make sure she's taking care of herself."

"She also said you emailed her last night…to tell her she's showing and they need to set a wedding date soon," Dobie laughed. "When did you even find time to do that?"

"After you fell asleep," Zelda answered quickly. "I just got on for a second. I think she needs to get started on this wedding."

"Honey…she doesn't have to rush into a wedding," Dobie tried to convince her. "No one cares that she's pregnant and unmarried. I know I freaked out a little at first, but that's just what dads are supposed to do. No one else is going to care. That kind of thing isn't a big deal anymore."

"Well it's a big deal to me," Zelda felt a few tears stinging her eyes and tried to hold them back.

Dobie shook his head and sighed, "That's kind of hypocritical…don't you think?"

"No…it's not," Zelda argued. "I want what's best for Gwendolyn. You don't know what it's like…what I went through back then…"

"Zelda, I know you always thought people were judging you because you were pregnant when we got married, but even back then, no one really cared," Dobie tried to convince her. "Our folks were mad…yours especially. I know that hurt you. But other than that…no one ever said anything to our faces. Maybe there were a few whispers here and there…"

Zelda shook her head, "You have no idea…"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Dobie asked with frustration. "I _was_ there you know."

"Dobie…" Zelda wiped away a stray tear that was sliding down her cheek. "You weren't there. Not all the time. Not in the beginning. Not when I had to go into the doctor's office by myself for a pregnancy test when every person in this town knew I wasn't married."

"Honey…that was more than forty years ago," Dobie sighed.

"That doesn't matter," Zelda closed her eyes to try to hold back her tears. She knew it would seem ridiculous that she was still so upset by this, especially when her daughter had been one of the biggest blessings of her life, but just thinking about it brought back all the emotions from so long ago and it broke her heart.

"Besides, Dr. Peterson was so nice and she never acted like we'd done anything wrong," Dobie reminded her. "Heck…half the town hated her for being a woman and the other half thought she was a nutcase with her Lamaze and her belief that fathers should be in the delivery room. Even I thought she was crazy for a while," he laughed. "So you're not going to convince me that she was mean to you when you went in for a pregnancy test, wedding band or not. She wouldn't have cared. If you thought she did, it was all in your head."

Zelda rolled her eyes, "Dr. Peterson was great," she agreed. "I loved her. She delivered both of our kids, but she was not the doctor I went to at first. She didn't even start her practice here in town until I was about four months pregnant with Gwen."

"Really?" Dobie asked. He hadn't remembered that, but then again he had never gone with her to the doctor. It just wasn't something men did back then. He'd been uncomfortable enough with the Lamaze classes Dr. Peterson held in the back of her small office on Friday nights. "Who did you see then?"

"Well…when I first thought I was pregnant, I didn't know what to do," Zelda told him. "I didn't want to go to my own doctor. I was afraid he would tell my parents. I know I was an adult, but he was their friend and I think he would have told them. So, I looked in the phone book and I found someone who I'd never heard of, and I went to see him."

"Okay…so maybe he wasn't as nice as Dr. Peterson," Dobie said softly.

"He was a jerk," Zelda cried. "He told me God hated me. He said our baby was a punishment. And he tried to convince me to give her up."

"What?" Dobie hadn't heard any of this before and he was in shock.

"He said that keeping her would be selfish and that she deserved parents who would love her and want her, not ones who saw her as a mistake," Zelda dabbed at her tears. "He gave me a bunch of brochures about adoption and told me I could go away to a home for unwed mothers and no one would even have to know. When I told him I wanted to keep the baby…he said I was going to be a bad mother. He said she'd always be ashamed of herself…being conceived out of wedlock…that she'd hate me."

Dobie shook his head in disbelief, "Why didn't you tell me all this?"

"At the time," Zelda admitted. "I thought maybe he was right. That I was going to be an awful mother. That our child would be ashamed because we weren't married."

"He wasn't right," Dobie squeezed her hand. "You know that."

"I know," Zelda sniffled. "God, I can't believe I'm sitting here crying over this _now_. It's been forty-four years." She wiped the tears away from her eyes.

"You should have told me…back then," Dobie sighed. "I would've kicked his ass. Is he still alive…I'll do it now."

Zelda laughed a little, "He was probably sixty back then," she sighed, "So he's either dead or you'd be beating up a man in his hundreds. I don't think you want to do that."

"He shouldn't have made you feel like that," Dobie said sadly. "I just wish you would've told me."

"I know," Zelda looked at him seriously and admitted a secret she had kept inside for decades. "I was afraid to tell you what he said. I was afraid if I did…you might have thought he was right. That maybe you would have wanted to give our baby away."

"How could you think that?" Dobie asked in disbelief. "Why would you think that?"

"I don't know," Zelda could tell she had hurt him. "I was scared. I know how much you love Gwen…but back then, I just didn't know what to expect."

"I have always loved our daughter," Dobie insisted. "From the first moment you told me you were pregnant." He thought back to that night, after he had proposed at their Valentine's Day dinner and Zelda had burst into tears, finally admitting to him that they were going to be parents. He had tried from the beginning to be understanding and supportive, but he did remember being scared and telling her they weren't ready to have a baby. It wasn't until she had practically begged him to love the baby that he came to his senses and realized he sounded like a jerk. Of course he loved their child. "I'm sorry if you didn't know how much I loved her…and how much I loved you."

"No…I knew," Zelda insisted. "I was just scared. Dobie, I'm sorry…for bringing all this up now…"

Dobie shook his head, "I'm glad I know now," he said truthfully. In the back of his mind he wondered if she was right. Would he have thought giving the baby up was a good idea? He had been scared to death of becoming a father, wasn't sure what to expect or how to take care of his wife and child. Maybe fear would have won out and he would have ended up agreeing with the doctor that they should give their child up. Zelda never would have agreed though, he knew that. And he wanted to believe he never would have either…no matter how frightened he was back then. Right now, he was glad Zelda hadn't told him what that doctor had said back then.

"I'm sorry I've been so tough on Gwen," Zelda admitted. "I'm going to call her and apologize. I don't care when she gets married…or _if_ she gets married. And I won't send her anymore scary pregnancy articles."

Dobie leaned across the table and kissed her softly on the lips, "I love you," he said. "More than anything."

"I know," Zelda said honestly and she gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "I love you too."


	12. Chapter 12

Their tiny apartment was sweltering in the summer heat. Dobie opened to front door to find his wife sweating over the stove, cooking dinner and he felt guilty. His mother had told him Zelda was doing too much, and that she was too sick to be working at the store every day, so he had insisted she stay home and rest. She had apparently taken that to mean she should stay home to cook and clean. For the past month he had come home to dinner on the table every night, and while he looked forward to it, he also knew his wife wasn't happy stuck in the tiny apartment all day, and she wasn't resting much either.

He put the groceries he was carrying in the refrigerator and then wrapped his arms around her, kissing her softly on the neck. He smiled when the baby kicked beneath his hand. Over the past few weeks the baby seemed to have gotten much stronger and spent half the day and night kicking up a storm. He was always excited to feel it kick. "I missed you today," he said with a smile. "The baby's been keeping you company, huh?"

Zelda took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from her forehead, "It's so hot in here," she sighed. Grabbing the potholders she put the casserole dish on the table and went to the refrigerator to grab a pitcher of iced tea. She filled two glasses with tea and sat at the table.

Dobie sat across from her, filling his plate with tuna casserole. "I got the groceries you wanted," he said with the hope of making her smile.

"Thanks," she muttered with little enthusiasm.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "You seem upset."

"I'm not upset," Zelda answered in a tired voice. "I'm just hot and tired. The baby won't stop kicking." She rubbed her hand across the swell of her stomach.

"The baby's supposed to kick like that," Dobie smiled. "It's his way of letting us know he's okay. I love feeling the baby kick."

"Well you don't have to feel it all the time," Zelda said tearfully. "This kid is wearing me out."

"Please don't cry," Dobie pleaded. He hated seeing her get so emotional, especially when he knew it was over nothing in particular. Her mood swings were the curse of this pregnancy and he didn't know how to deal with them. "What do you want me to do? I'll do anything."

Zelda shook her head, "I'm just tired." She took a sip of her tea and then ran the glass across her forehead. "Is this whole summer going to be this hot? I'm not sure I can make it until September."

"Sure you will," Dobie tried to sound reassuring, but in reality he knew he had no idea how miserable she felt. He could only guess, and his sympathy wasn't making her feel any better. "Do you want me to do something for you? We could go to the movies…they have air conditioning there."

"I don't want to go to the movies," Zelda sighed. "I'm tired."

"Well, we could go see my folks," Dobie suggested. "The store has air conditioning and their apartment is pretty cool from that."

"Dobie…I don't want to go anywhere. I just want the temperature to cool off…okay?" Zelda yelled at him.

"Well I can't control the weather," Dobie argued. "I'm trying to come up with something to make you feel better." He stood up with his plate and put it in the sink, trying to keep from getting angry.

"I'm sorry," Zelda sighed. "Really…I'm just tired and the baby is moving so much. I didn't mean to snap at you. It's not your fault."

Dobie put his hands on her shoulders, gently massaging up and down, "I know you're miserable. Why don't you just take a cool shower and lay down for a while. Maybe that would help."

"Maybe," Zelda nodded as she stood up from the chair and put her own dish in the sink.

"I'll do the dishes," Dobie offered. "You go take your shower and see if you can cool off some." He kissed her on the cheek and she smiled, letting him know her bad mood had passed as quickly as it arrived. He watched as she walked into the bathroom and then he quickly cleaned up the few dishes from dinner. He looked around the apartment. It was too small. The kitchen was nothing more than a nook. There wasn't a bedroom, and the living room was just big enough for the pull-out sofa they slept on, the small round dining table, and their portable black and white TV set. Even the bathroom was smaller than most, with a stand-alone shower and no tub. Pretty soon they would have to set up a crib and he wasn't sure where they would put it.

Zelda walked out of the bathroom in her pink cotton nightgown, her hair hanging in thick, damp curls. Dobie smiled knowing she felt better. He pulled out the sofa into a bed and helped her lower herself down onto it. Even though he knew she'd insist she didn't need his help, he also knew it was getting harder for her to get into bed by herself since the sofa-bed was so low to the ground. "Do you wanna watch TV?" he asked. "I think _Laugh-In_ is on."

Zelda shook her head. "Not tonight. Let's just talk."

"Okay," Dobie agreed as he stripped down to his boxers and t-shirt. He went into the kitchen and grabbed a container of ice cream from the freezer and two spoons from the drawer and then climbed into bed beside his wife. "Here," he handed her one of the spoons and opened the ice cream carton. He stuck his own spoon into the carton, and lifted the spoonful to his mouth. "This is the only way I know of to cool things off in here," he laughed.

Zelda sat up, putting a pillow behind her back and took a bite herself. "Butter pecan?" she asked. "Why'd you get butter pecan?"

"You don't like it?" Dobie asked. It seemed as if he could do nothing right and he was tired of it.

"No…I do," she insisted. "I just never buy it. I usually just get chocolate or vanilla." She took another bite and smiled, "The baby likes it."

Dobie laughed and put his hand on her stomach, where he could feel the baby kicking again. "It's my favorite," he smiled. "I guess it's the baby's favorite too. Sorry to get him all worked up again."

"It's okay," Zelda took another bite and then she looked serious. "I went to the doctor today."

"Oh?" Dobie asked, noticing the look on her face. "Is everything okay?" Suddenly he was worried and he wasn't sure why.

"Sure…everything's okay," Zelda assured him as she took another bite. "The doctor says the baby is growing well. She said I'm fine…fat, but fine."

"She didn't say you were fat," Dobie sighed.

"She said I've gained seventeen pounds," Zelda took another bite of the ice cream. "Seventeen! That's a lot!"

"Do you want me to put the ice cream away then?" he asked with a chuckle.

Zelda laughed, "Don't you dare!" She took another bite and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Dobie? Why do you keep talking like the baby's a boy? Do you think it's a boy?"

"I don't know," Dobie admitted. "I guess it just kind of comes out that way. I don't like calling the baby 'it' so I end up saying 'he.' Does it bother you?"

Zelda shrugged, "I wish there was a way to find out. So we could pick a name and everything."

"Yeah, that'd be a miracle," Dobie teased. "We can pick names anyway. Let's pick a girl name and for the rest of the night I promise to call the baby 'she.'"

Zelda laughed, "You'll have plenty of time to talk to her tonight. I don't think she's planning to go to sleep." She rubbed her hand over her stomach and Dobie put his hand gently on top, laughing as the baby kicked rigorously. "Too much sugar…from the butter pecan."

Dobie laughed as he climbed out of bed and put the lid back on the ice cream container. Then he put the spoons in the sink and ice cream in the freezer. He started to get back in bed, but stopped and looked around the room. "Zelda…where are we going to put this baby? We don't have room for him…or her." He crawled back into bed and let his hand rest on her stomach. He put his mouth next to her stomach and whispered, "You want your own room…don't you?"

Zelda laughed and pushed him playfully away from her stomach, "_We_ don't even have _our_ own room."

"We need a bigger place," Dobie said seriously. "We should start looking."

"We don't have the money," Zelda insisted.

"It wouldn't hurt to look," Dobie suggested.

"Yes it would," Zelda argued. "It will make you want to move to a place we can't afford. I know how you are."

"Come on…please?" he pleaded teasingly.

"I don't know…maybe. We could look this weekend," Zelda gave in. "Oh, one more thing...about the doctor…"

"What?" Dobie asked, confused by the way she changed the subject so quickly.

"She said she's teaching childbirth classes at her office on Friday nights," Zelda said seriously. "I want to go…tomorrow."

"Childbirth classes?" Dobie asked. "Doesn't your body just know how to do that? I can take you if you want…but I don't think you really need a class to teach you how to give birth."

"The classes are for both of us," Zelda told him. "The doctor believes fathers should be there when their children are born."

"No way…" Dobie argued. "I am not doing that!"

"Fine," Zelda snickered. "Then I'm not looking for a new place to live. We'll just stay here and the baby can sleep on your side of the bed."

"Really?" he asked. "Where do you propose I sleep then?"

"You can sleep standing up in the shower stall for all I care," Zelda snapped, and she rolled over and pretended to go to sleep.

"Zelda, I don't want to be in the delivery room," Dobie explained. "That's just weird. I wouldn't be any help anyway. I'll probably throw up…or pass out…or something…" She didn't answer him and Dobie understood now that she was not going to let him win this argument, but he wasn't willing to give up so easily. "You wouldn't want me there. Trust me on this." She kept her eyes closed and refused to acknowledge him. "Zelda…really. It's a bad idea." He sighed, knowing he had lost. "Fine!" he grunted. "I'll go…but just to see what the class is like."

Zelda smiled and rolled back over towards him, putting her arm around him and kissing him softly on the lips. "Thanks," she whispered. Dobie rolled his eyes in frustration, but then he snuggled down next to her and fell asleep.


	13. Chapter 13

Dobie parked outside of the apartment and honked the horn for his wife. It was later than he planned and he knew Zelda wasn't happy when he called from the store telling her he wouldn't have time to shower and change before the childbirth class. It couldn't be helped though. Not when a mother came in with prescriptions for her sick little boy right before closing time. He had to fill them.

He saw his wife walking downstairs. She was wearing her pink dress, which he always thought made her look happier somehow. Her hair was in a ponytail, and she was wearing her shoes with little heels even though she hadn't wore them in at least a month complaining that they threw her balance off with the extra pregnancy weight. She must have decided it was worth being a little uncomfortable tonight. The class seemed to mean a lot to her.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Dobie apologized as Zelda opened the door. He watched as she struggled a little to climb into the truck and he regretted not getting out to help her, but by the time he realized he should she had already situated herself in the seat.

"It's okay," she said a little out of breath. She let her hands rest on the swell of her stomach and sighed, "I know you were busy at work."

Dobie leaned over and kissed her and she smiled, "You look pretty tonight," he offered the sincere compliment. "I really am sorry I didn't get here in time to change."

"You look fine," Zelda said honestly. His plaid shirt and slacks were a little wrinkled, but this was a birthing class, not a night out on the town. She rolled the window down to let in a breeze and closed her eyes, suddenly feeling more tired than she had all day.

Dobie kept his eyes on the road, thinking about the class and wondering why he had let himself be duped into going. He didn't understand why on earth Zelda would want him in that room when the baby was born. He wouldn't be of any help to her. If anything, he was sure he would make things worse. He would much prefer to sit in the waiting room, passing out cigars.

"I read an article about these classes," he said, forcing Zelda to open her eyes and turn towards him. "At work today. Sometimes doctor's offices send medical journals into the pharmacy and I look through them." He didn't tell her he had called an office in town that morning asking for any articles they could give him on the subject. Zelda didn't need to know that.

"So?" she asked. "What did you think?"

Dobie shrugged, "I just don't see how this is any better than the old fashioned way. There was all this documented proof that natural childbirth if better for the baby than using drugs, but nothing that said it made any difference if the father was present for the birth. You can do this without me. The nurses can help you."

"Why don't _you_ want to help me with this?" she asked sadly.

"I didn't say I don't want to…just that I don't _need_ to." Dobie asked. "I'm still taking the class."

"But you don't want to," Zelda argued. "You're only going so I'll agree to look for a bigger apartment tomorrow. You don't want to be there when I have this baby!"

"I want to be there," Dobie insisted. "Just not…in the room…you know?"

"Yeah, I know," Zelda said bitterly. Dobie pulled into the parking lot at the doctor's office. There were a few other cars there already and he wondered how the other fathers had been talked into this. He'd mentioned it to his father at the store earlier, and the reaction was one of laughter and then a serious lecture on how he couldn't face what would be happening in that room and he better find a way out of this before the baby was born. He was scared. He was afraid of going into that class and learning things he didn't even want to know about childbirth. Most of all, he was scared of seeing his own child come into the world. He could only imagine the scene and he didn't want that picture in his mind for the rest of his life.

Zelda's voice shook from the space next to him, "You want me to do this alone!"

Dobie looked at her. She was biting nervously on her fingernails and he could see the tears forming in her eyes. That was when he realized, this wasn't about him at all. _She_ was scared. Just as scared as he was…probably even more so, because no matter how afraid he was of seeing the birth, she was the one who had to suffer through it. He watched through the window as another couple walked hand-in-hand into the office. They were laughing and chatting all the way, and it made Dobie wonder how they could be so at ease about this. Dobie reached over and pulled his wife's hand away from her mouth, "I don't want you to do this alone," he said softly.

"I don't know if I can do this," Zelda admitted.

"Sure you can," Dobie tried to be encouraging. "You'll be great at this. I just know it. You're great at everything."

Zelda smiled nervously, "What if something goes wrong?"

"Nothing will go wrong," Dobie promised. "I'll be there. I'll help you…and I'll make sure the doctor is taking care of you and the baby. Don't worry anymore…okay?"

Zelda nodded, "Okay," she cleared her throat and brushed away a couple of tears that were staining her cheeks. "Promise you won't back out?"

"I promise," Dobie smiled. "But I better learn a lot in this class…I don't want to mess anything up."

Zelda laughed as Dobie helped her down from the truck. Then they walked hand-in-hand into the doctor's office, ready to learn about how to have a baby and both trying to pretend that they weren't scared half to death.


	14. Chapter 14

Zelda's eyes fluttered open. She could tell her husband wasn't in bed next to her before she even turned to his side of the bed. She'd spent five years without him lying next to her after spending over thirty with him sleeping by her side, and she hated the feeling of waking up alone. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was still pretty early but she wondered if he had snuck back downstairs to the computer. She was beginning to regret introducing him to the online world. He had taken to it more quickly than she had expected. He still couldn't master his cell phone, but could chat with their daughter clear across the country with no trouble at all via the internet. Even though she had called Gwen over a week ago and apologized for meddling in her life, she still felt like her daughter was suddenly closer to Dobie than to her, and it hurt.

"You're awake," Dobie said as he pushed the door open, carrying a tray in his hands. "I was hoping you'd wake up soon."

"What's all this?" she asked as he put the tray on the bed beside her. She stared at the pancakes, bacon, and coffee as well as the single red rose adorning the tray.

Dobie leaned in and kissed her, "Happy Birthday," he smiled. "I figured I can master breakfast once every forty years or so."

Zelda laughed. Dobie had never been good in the kitchen. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time he had tried to cook anything other than cereal and juice, and that wasn't exactly cooking. "You remembered my birthday?" she asked teasingly. She'd practically forgotten it herself, or rather she'd chosen to forget it. She could hardly believe she was seventy years old. It seemed like yesterday she was chasing Dobie around Central High and now their granddaughter went to school there.

"I would never forget your birthday," Dobie smiled. He sat on the edge of the bed beside her and watched as she took a bite of her pancakes and sipped at her coffee.

"How did you manage this?" Zelda asked seriously. "The pancakes are golden and fluffy and the bacon is actually edible? You don't even know how to start the coffee pot."

"Hey, give me some credit," Dobie said defensively. "I'm not completely incompetent."

"In the kitchen…yes you are," Zelda disagreed. "You didn't make this…did you?" she asked as she took another bite and licked the syrup from her fork. "Who cooked all this?"

"I have another surprise for you…" he said teasingly.

"What kind of surprise?" she asked curiously. "Did you hire a cook...I'd rather have a maid," she teased.

"You'll see," he chuckled.

"Tell me?" Zelda asked again, as she finished the last bite of pancakes. "Dobie…you are making me crazy!"

"Okay…okay," Dobie laughed. "No appreciation for breakfast in bed, huh? You just want your present?"

Zelda rolled her eyes in frustration, "I appreciate breakfast in bed," she sighed. "But I know you didn't cook this and I want to know what the big surprise is. You're being mean to an old lady here, you know?"

"_You_ will never be an old lady," Dobie said seriously as he kissed her once more. "I don't want to hear that kind of talk from you again," he winked at her and she couldn't help but laugh. Dobie turned towards the door, "Come on in…" he called loudly and watched intently as the door opened and his daughter walked into the room.

"Hi Mom," Gwen said cheerfully as she walked into the room.

"Gwen!" Zelda's eyes widened when she saw her daughter in the doorway. "Honey…what are you doing here?"

Gwen walked over and climbed into bed next to her mother, "Daddy wanted to make you breakfast in bed…and we both know he can't do that by himself," she laughed as she hugged her mother. "Happy Birthday."

"Oh sweetie," Zelda hugged her daughter and smiled. "Are you back for good?"

Gwen nodded, "Yes…our things should be here in a few days, but I wanted to come now. I missed you," she leaned her head against her mother's shoulder and Zelda stroked her daughter's long auburn hair and felt happier than she had in a long time. "Oh…" Gwen grinned, "Do you want to feel the baby kick?"

"Really?" Zelda asked as she watched her daughter pull back the light sweater she was wearing over the yellow t-shirt that was pulled tight over her slight baby bump. "Aww…you look so cute," she said softly as she reached her hand out and let it rest gently on her daughter's stomach. She laughed when she felt the baby's soft flutters, "Such a sweet little baby," she smiled. "Those flutters are going to get a lot stronger before long."

"Yeah, I know," Gwen nodded. "I can't wait."

Dobie picked up the tray and smiled at his wife and daughter, "I'm going to leave you two alone," he said heading towards the door. "So, I guess you are happy with your birthday present?" he teased.

"Very happy," Zelda agreed. "Thanks…both of you." She watched as Dobie walked out the door and then she turned to her daughter, "I should get up and get dressed."

"No," Gwen leaned closer into her mother. "Let's just lay here a while. Please."

"Okay," Zelda agreed. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah…I'm just tired," Gwen replied. "And I've missed you so much. I can't remember the last time I crawled into bed with you and could just lay here doing nothing."

"Me neither," Zelda admitted. "Where's Jack?" she asked.

"He's downstairs," Gwen answered. "Asleep on the couch. He was tired from the flight." She sighed and then looked seriously at her mother, "Mom…I have to tell you something."

"What honey?" Zelda asked, a little worried.

"Jack and I got married in Vegas last week," Gwen confessed. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I know you wanted to plan a big wedding…"

"Vegas?" Zelda cringed. "Oh Gwendolyn…"

"Mom…I'm sorry," Gwen knew she had hurt her mother and it broke her heart. She wiped away a few tears that were stinging her eyes, "I was so overwhelmed with everything. I just wanted to get the wedding over with. I didn't really care about the wedding ceremony…I just wanted to start our new life together."

"My mother refused to come to my wedding," Zelda sighed. "I always wanted to be there to watch you get married."

"I know, Mom," Gwen sniffled. "I'm sorry. I should have thought about that. I'm so sorry…"

"Don't cry, baby," Zelda held her daughter close to her. "It's okay. You did what you thought was best…for you and Jack. It's okay."

"Really?" Gwen asked tearfully. "You forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive," Zelda kissed her daughter on the cheek. "I'm happy for you." She wiped away her daughter's tears that were sliding down her cheeks, "Did your Dad know about this?"

"No," Gwen insisted. "We told him this morning. He was afraid you'd be upset. That's why he said I should make you pancakes and bacon."

Zelda laughed, "That sounds like a plan he'd come up with."

"You're really not mad?" Gwen asked again.

"No…I'm not mad," Zelda said gently. She was a little bit hurt that she had missed her daughter's wedding, but in a lot of ways she was relieved. At least Gwen had married Jack and wasn't planning to spend her whole life living with him and raising their child without the sanctity of marriage. No matter how progressive she tried to convince herself she was, she knew deep down she was old fashioned about those sorts of things. "So…what should we do today? It is my seventieth birthday after all. We should have some fun, you know...before I'm too old to remember what fun is." She rolled her eyes playfully.

Gwen laughed, "I was thinking we could go out to dinner tonight. I called Georgie and he said he and Chatsy and the kids could come. Where would you like to go?"

"Anyplace is fine with me," Zelda smiled. "As long as I don't have to cook it." She put her hand back on her daughter's stomach and laughed again as the baby kicked softly. "What does my little grandbaby want to eat?"

"You mean your little grand_son_," Gwen beamed. "It's a boy! We found out a couple days ago."

"A boy?" Zelda asked. "Really? Aww, honey…congratulations. I promise to finish his baby blanket as soon as I can, and then I'll knit him some tiny blue booties."

"Mom, you've got some time. He won't be here for three more months. Now, back to dinner. Your grandson likes anything, so choose whatever place you want." Gwen chuckled. "Trust me…all I ever do anymore is eat. Jack says he's going to enter me in one of those competitive eating contests."

Zelda laughed, "I'm sure it's not that bad."

"Almost," Gwen insisted.

"Did you tell your Dad the baby is a boy?" Zelda asked eagerly.

Gwen shook her head, "Not yet. I wanted to tell you first."

"Finally…I know something before he does," Zelda smirked. "It's about time."

"Seriously Mom…dinner?" Gwen asked. "Where are we going?"

"Gwen...it's still morning honey. We have time to decide," Zelda hugged her daughter.

"Sorry…all I can think about is food," Gwen laughed. "I think I'm going to go downstairs and eat the leftover pancakes." She climbed out of bed and grinned at her mother. "Happy Birthday, Mom. And no matter what you think...you're not old. Trust me."

"Thanks," Zelda got out of bed herself and hugged her daughter tight. "This has been the best birthday I've had in a long time." She meant that, and the day had barely started.


	15. Chapter 15

"Grandma," Gracie asked happily, as the family gathered at their favorite restaurant that night. "Did you like your presents?"

Zelda smiled as she bounced her baby grandson on her lap, "Of course sweetie. Thank you." She looked down at the beaded bracelet the little girl had made for her. She had done a nice job, and Zelda knew she'd be wearing the bracelet for a long time. The baby started to fuss and she put him on her shoulder and patted his back, but it didn't seem to help, "What's wrong baby?" she asked sweetly, as she kissed his soft pink cheek.

"He wants his grandpa," Dobie laughed. He grabbed the fussy baby and Zelda reluctantly handed him over. Dobie looked at his namesake and smiled, "There…there…you're okay, aren't you?" He rocked the baby boy back and forth, but he kept crying.

"He's hungry," Chatsy Gillis grabbed the baby from her father-in-law and situated him in her own lap with his bottle, where he contentedly stopped fussing. She kissed him gently, "There you go Little Dobie," she smiled. "You can have him back in a while," she smiled at her in-laws. She knew how much they loved her children.

"So, Aunt Gwen," Greta asked, taking the attention off her baby brother. "What are you going to name your baby?"

"We don't know yet," Gwen looked at her husband and grabbed his hand. "We're still thinking."

"You should name her Zelda," Gracie suggested as she took a bite of her macaroni and cheese. "Then the babies will both have the same names as Grandma and Grandpa."

Gwen laughed, "Well…that won't exactly work," she said. "We're having a little boy." The whole table squealed with joy. "We're really excited," Gwen added. "I told Mom about it earlier."

"You knew she was having a boy?" Dobie asked his wife. "And you didn't tell me?"

"I can keep a secret once in a while too," Zelda teased.

"Now Little Dobie will have another boy to play with," Georgie said happily. "I was worried he'd be the only boy in the family."

"I'm sure they'll be good friends," Jack said seriously. He was still getting used to his new family, and he was eager to fit in.

"I'll baby-sit for you," Greta offered. "I don't mind at all."

"That's sweet Greta," Gwen smiled. "We'll probably take you up on that."

"You won't even watch your brother and sister for _us_," Chatsy shook her head at her oldest daughter.

"That's because you won't let my friends come over," Greta argued.

"That's because your friends are weird," Georgie chimed in. "Make some new friends and we'll talk about it."

"That's not fair!" Greta whined. "You can't make me choose new friends," she turned to her aunt. "Is that fair Aunt Gwen?"

"I'm staying out of this one," Gwen said as she took a bite of her pasta.

"But it's not fair," Greta insisted.

"You don't think anything is fair," Gracie chimed in. She looked at her grandmother, "She always says things aren't fair." Zelda squeezed her younger granddaughter's hand and tried to get her to stay out of the argument.

"You do have some strange friends on your facebook page," Dobie added. "I've been worried about it."

"Are you facebook stalking me?" Greta asked angrily.

"Don't talk to your grandfather like that," Georgie reprimanded his daughter. "We'll talk about this later. You're running your grandma's birthday."

"I'm not ruining Grandma's birthday," Greta cried, as she stood up from the table and stormed off to the ladies room.

Chatsy stood up and handed the baby and his bottle to Gwen, "Can you finish feeding him, please?" she asked. "I better go after our drama queen." She turned towards the restroom and then back at the baby in his aunt's arms. "Hard to believe she was ever as little and sweet as this," Chatsy chuckled as she walked off.

Gwen looked down at the baby and then at her mother, "Was I that bad when I was sixteen?" she asked.

"You had your moments," Zelda answered.

"You were always locked in your room with a book, sobbing over some boy who didn't like you," Georgie remembered. "You were a mess."

"You were no better," Dobie said to his son. "Chasing after girls who wanted nothing to do with you."

"I wasn't that bad," Georgie insisted.

"You were _both_ that bad," Zelda interrupted. "You were teenagers. That's how teenagers act. You grew out of it, and so will Greta."

Gwen looked down at her nephew who had finished his bottle and was cooing softly. "I'm going to be sixty years old when my son is sixteen," she said as realization hit her. "How am I going to handle that?" She started to cry as Georgie took his son from her arms.

Jack embraced her, "It's okay honey," he whispered and put his hand on the swell of her stomach. "We'll figure it out. We have a long time before he's a teenager." He kissed her and hugged her closer.

Chatsy and Greta walked back to the table, "I'm sorry," Greta said, her eyes still red with tears. "I didn't mean to ruin Grandma's birthday."

"You didn't ruin my birthday," Zelda winked at her granddaughter.

Greta nodded and sat back in front of her plate of spaghetti and meatballs. She looked over to where her aunt was crying and looked pleadingly at her, "Aunt Gwen…I didn't mean to make you cry. I'm sorry."

Gwen brushed away her tears and forced a smile, "It wasn't you," she said, making the girl feel better. "It's just my hormones."

"Let's just start the night over," Dobie suggested. "We'll just pretend none of this mess ever happened."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Chatsy agreed.

The family finished the last of their meal, and then a waiter arrived with a cake Georgie and Gwen had picked out for their mother. As they all sang "Happy Birthday," Zelda was happy. It didn't matter that the night had included arguments and tears. It had also included laughter and joy. Her family was together, and it had been far too long. She felt immensely blessed.


	16. Chapter 16

"Mom…I don't know where we are going to put everything," Gwen said as she looked around her new apartment. It had been a week since her things arrived from LA, and the piles of boxes and furniture were driving her crazy. She and Jack had been staying with her parents at their house in order to avoid the chaos, but she knew it was time to get things in order. They couldn't live with her parents forever. As much as she missed them, they were already starting to get on her nerves.

Zelda looked around the apartment. It seemed smaller somehow with all Gwen's things. Her in-laws had lived there for decades and it never felt small or cluttered. Now she realized they didn't have near the amount of things her daughter and son-in-law had. "We'll find a place for everything," she said reluctantly. "Do you need all of this?"

"Probably not," Gwen admitted. "But I don't know what to keep and what to get rid of. This is so overwhelming." She sat on a box and put her head in her hands, trying not to cry. She had wanted to leave LA and come back to Central City, but she hadn't realized how hard the move would be, how tired she'd be, or how much she'd miss the place she'd called home for twenty years. Central City was where she grew up and she loved her family, but she didn't feel at home…at least not yet.

"Hey…it's okay," Zelda sat next to her daughter and put her arm around her. "We'll get this figured out. Moving is always a mess, but it works out."

"What if I can't get this done before the baby is born?" Gwen asked nervously. "Mom…I only have three months. Look at this mess."

Zelda laughed, "You know…it won't take three months to get this done. Really, it won't." She patted her daughter's stomach and felt her grandson kick, "This little guy will come home to a nice, comfy home…I promise."

"Maybe we should have waited," Gwen sighed. "Until after he was born…to move."

"Then you'd be moving across the country with a newborn baby," Zelda disagreed. "That would've been harder. Honey…moving is hard…for anyone. It'll work out."

"How do you know?" Gwen asked. "You've never moved. You've always lived in the same place. Even when you and Daddy got divorced…he moved, not you!" She was frustrated with her mother and she wasn't sure why. She was just nervous and she knew her mother didn't really understand.

"Hey…we moved into that house when I was pregnant with you," Zelda argued. "And believe me…it was overwhelming. The house was a fixer-upper so it was a mess. There were broken windows and exposed nails in the floorboards. The wallpaper was peeling from the walls and the paint was chipped. I was tired and _huge_…I could barely walk up and down the stairs and yet I had to put that place together while your dad was at work all day. I was scared to death I was going to bring my baby home to a mess…so I _do_ understand." Zelda sighed, "It's been a while, but I remember."

"The house was _that_ bad?" Gwen asked. "Why'd you move there then?" She couldn't even imagine the home she'd grown up in looking the way her mother described.

"Your dad wanted a house," Zelda explained. "He wanted you to have a yard with a swing set and grass to run around and play in. I didn't think we could afford it, but he found one that needed a _lot_ of work and was convinced we could fix it up."

"He was right," Gwen replied. "The house has always looked great…as far as I can remember." She laughed, "Except for maybe in the seventies when we had the olive green appliances in the kitchen."

Zelda laughed with her daughter, "I loved those. Your dad bought those for me for Christmas one year. They looked nice at the time."

"Daddy bought you a stove and refrigerator for _Christmas_?" Gwen asked. "Wow. If Jack ever did that…I'd be furious."

"I wanted them," Zelda smiled. "I wasn't mad. I think I got him an electric saw that year so he could cut down a half-dead tree in the backyard."

"So romantic," Gwen teased. Then she looked around the room and let out a deep breath, "Okay…let's pick a room and get started."

"Okay," Zelda nodded. "Which room?"

"Let's start in the bedroom," Gwen suggested. "I want to sleep here, in my own bed tonight." She ran her hand over her stomach and sighed, "The baby's gonna like it here…right?"

"He's gonna love it," Zelda squeezed her daughter. "It's his home."


	17. Chapter 17

"I don't want to look for another apartment today," Zelda complained as she stared at her bowl of cornflakes. The birthing class had run late and it was after 10:00 when they made it home the night before. She was amazed at how intrigued Dobie seemed by the things they were learning in the class, especially after he had said he didn't want to go, but when they came home and he continued to talk about it and ask questions long past midnight she had become tired and frustrated. Now she was exhausted from lack of sleep and getting up early to look at apartments was the last thing on her mind.

"You promised," Dobie reminded her as he quickly ate his own cereal. "I got my folks to cover the store…all day. We have to do this _today_."

"But I'm tired," Zelda complained.

"You're always tired," Dobie argued. "Waiting isn't going to change that. Besides, I have a whole list of places to look at and I want to get there early before anyone else steals the best offer." He put his bowl in the sink and kissed her softly on the cheek. "Come on…get dressed. We're going." Zelda knew he wasn't going to take no for an answer so she finished her cereal and went to change her clothes. When she emerged a while later wearing green cropped pants, and sleeveless green striped top, and white canvas tennis shoes Dobie smiled, "You look cute…very summery."

Your mom bought me this," Zelda snickered. "She thought I needed more casual summer clothes. I look like a watermelon."

Dobie laughed, "I love watermelon," he put his arms around her and kissed her once more.

"God…now I'm craving watermelon," Zelda sighed miserably.

Dobie laughed again and patted her stomach softly, "I promise to get you and the baby watermelon if you will look seriously at some of these apartments," he smiled. "We need to move. Have an open mind…okay?"

Zelda nodded, "Alright…I will." She smiled, "It would be nice to have a real bedroom…instead of sleeping in the living room every night."

"See…now you're seeing things from my point of view," Dobie grabbed her hand and headed toward the door. "Let's go find our dream home."

"We can't spend much more than we're spending now," Zelda insisted as they walked downstairs. She had lived in the apartment before she and Dobie were married, and even though she knew it was too small for their growing family, she was grateful for the inexpensive rent.

Dobie helped her into the truck and then climbed in himself. He turned the key in the ignition, "We can afford a little more. We're making good money at the store. You worry too much."

"We are going to have some big bills pretty soon," Zelda insisted. "The doctor, the hospital, all the baby's things."

"I know that," Dobie rolled his eyes. He was tired of listening to her go on and on about expenses. He'd never known anyone as concerned about money as his wife. Even his father who was cheap and stingy with his money seemed more willing to part with it than Zelda. "I promise you," Dobie said sincerely. "This baby will have everything he needs…okay?"

"Okay," Zelda said, less than convincingly. She was silent as they drove toward the first apartment. She wanted to be excited, but she just couldn't muster up the enthusiasm.


	18. Chapter 18

"We wasted the whole morning," Dobie sighed as they drove toward home. They had seen six apartments and none of them were even remote possibilities. Two of them had been almost as small as their current apartment, one was bigger but infested with bugs, two of them were way out of their price-range, and the last one seemed perfect until the landlady told them she didn't allow children in the building. Dobie wondered why she hadn't said anything about the "no children" policy when they first arrived. It was obvious they were expecting a baby, but the old woman had thrown that out like an after-thought once they had said they wanted the place. It had been the most frustrating part of the whole day.

"I'm sorry," Zelda said honestly. "I know you were hoping to find something today."

"I just want to be settled," Dobie replied. "Before the baby gets here. I want to bring her home to a nice place."

"You said 'her'," Zelda noticed with a smile.

Dobie laughed, "Yeah…I figured I'd go with 'her' for today. You know the second place we looked at? The really expensive one with the little pink bedroom? It just made me think of how sweet it would be to put our little girl to sleep in there."

Zelda felt tears moisten her eyes, "She'll be fine if she has to share a room with us too…you know that, right? Babies don't care where they sleep, Dobie. They just want to feel safe and loved. You will do that for our baby no matter where we live. I know that."

Dobie nodded with little enthusiasm. "What's going on over there?" he asked as they drove toward a house with flags and balloons in the yard.

"Open House," Zelda answered. "Isn't that the old Browning place? Remember how Maynard used to stop by there and chat with Mr. Browning for hours on end?" She laughed as Dobie pulled over to the curb staring intently at the house. "Why are you stopping?"

"We should go look at it," he suggested. "Just for fun."

"No…no way," Zelda argued. "We cannot afford a house. I don't want to look at it."

"Oh come on," Dobie opened his door and was out of the truck before his wife could protest any further. He walked around and opened her door, reaching his hand out to help her down, "It'll be fun to see the inside."

Zelda crossed her arms and shook her head, "Absolutely not. We cannot buy a house and it's stupid to look at something we can't afford."

Dobie was in no mood to argue with his stubborn wife. "Fine," he said. "_I_ will go look at it and _you_ can sit here." He walked away from the truck and Zelda groaned as she watched him go. She knew she had to follow him. Slowly she climbed down from the truck and tried to catch up to him. She was nearly out of breath by the time she reached him heading toward the front steps of the brick house. Dobie looked at her and smiled, "I knew you'd want to look inside."

"I don't want to," Zelda said as she tried to catch her breath, "but if I let you go in there alone you're liable to buy the place."

"Don't be ridiculous," Dobie put his arm around her as they climbed the front steps. "I know we can't buy a house. I just want to look at it." When they walked inside, they were given a sheet of paper with the listing price and Dobie smiled, "It is a low price," he said. "You have to admit that."

"Yeah," Zelda looked around the room. "But look at this place. It's awful." The rooms were big, but the wallpaper was faded and peeling and the paint was chipped. They walked into the kitchen where the linoleum floor was warped and curled at the edges and the kitchen window was shattered and covered with yellowed newspaper. "Can we go now?" she asked hopefully. "I'm starving."

"You're always starving," Dobie said, a little frustrated. He was doing his best to provide a home for his family and Zelda didn't seem to appreciate it at all. "Let's just look upstairs." Before she could argue he was off, and so Zelda followed him up the steep flight of stairs. They were almost to the top when she tripped on a loose board and nearly fell. Luckily she had fallen forward into her husband who quickly turned around and grabbed her, "Are you okay?" he asked nervously.

"I'm fine," Zelda said, her voice shaking. "I just tripped."

Dobie looked at her and could tell the near-fall had scared her. He helped her up the last few steps and then put his arm around her to comfort her. "Let's just look around up here and then we'll go to the store and get that watermelon…okay?"

Zelda nodded. They looked around the upstairs. It wasn't as bad as the first floor, but it wasn't great either. The master bedroom was decent sized, but the closet doors were hanging from their hinges and the hard wood floors had nails that were sticking up and bent. Zelda hadn't realized how much she missed seeing her feet until she tripped for the third time on the uneven floor. The other two bedrooms were small, but the big windows left them well-lit. The larger one was at the end of the hall and had a view of the street. The smaller one was near the master bedroom and had a view of the large backyard. "This would make a really cute nursery," Dobie suggested as they stood looking out toward the backyard. "We could paint it pink."

"Dobie…no," Zelda shook her head. "We can't…"

"Why not?" Dobie asked. "This house is a steal at this price. It only needs a little work."

"We don't even have a down payment," Zelda reminded him. "We can buy a house eventually…but not right now."

"I want our baby to have a home," Dobie looked at her and she was sure she saw tears glistening in his eyes. "I always thought I'd get married, save up some money, buy a house, and then have a family," Dobie explained. "But things didn't happen in that order for us."

"No…they didn't," Zelda agreed. "And that's why we can't do this. We don't have the money…you know that."

"If I can get the down payment, then the mortgage wouldn't cost more than our rent," Dobie tried to persuade her. He looked back outside, "Can't you see our kids playing out there? We could get a swing set and a sandbox…they can run around and get dirty," he smiled.

"They?" Zelda asked as she ran her hand over her stomach. "I know I'm huge…but there is not more than one kid in here."

Dobie laughed, "I know that. I meant eventually. We're going to have another baby someday…right? This house is big enough for a family…_our_ family. I want that. Don't you?"

"Of course I do," Zelda agreed. "But this house needs so much work."

"We can do it ourselves," Dobie insisted. "It's mostly paint and nails anyway."

"Where do you plan to get the down payment?" Zelda asked.

"I have an idea," Dobie answered. "Leave that to me."

"Dobie…" she wanted to ask where he thought he'd get the down payment, but she already knew the answer. She'd overheard his mother talking to his father about loaning them money for a house more than once. She thought Dobie agreed with her that it was a bad idea…that they shouldn't depend on anyone else for help, but looking at him now she knew he wanted this house more than he wanted to prove they could make it on their own. And he didn't want the house for himself. He wanted it for their baby. "We can't paint this room pink," she said, a lump in her throat.

"Why not?" Dobie asked.

"Because…the baby might be a boy," Zelda leaned into him and let him hold her close. "Let's paint it green or yellow."

Dobie smiled, "Does that mean you want the house?" he asked in a hopeful whisper.

Zelda nodded, "I want you to be happy," she said gently. "And I want our family to be happy. I think we can be happy here."

Dobie kissed her, and as he pulled away from the kiss he looked around the room. "How about yellow, with green trim?" he asked. "And once we pound down all the nails, we can put a little rug down on the floor and set the crib up by that wall…"

Zelda hugged him, "I love you," she said softly. "But let's talk about decorating the nursery later…okay? The baby and I are still starving…"

Dobie laughed as he put his arm around her and they walked back downstairs.


	19. Chapter 19

"I _do_ think it could be a cute house," Zelda looked seriously at her mother-in-law as she took a bite of her pink, juicy watermelon. Dobie was down in the store with his father, trying to convince him to loan them the money, and Zelda was left upstairs with his mother. "I just think it needs a lot of work and it is too much money right now. Dobie thinks I'm being difficult."

"He just wants to give this baby everything," Winnifred smiled as her daughter-in-law took another bite. "He wants some stability for all of you."

"I'd feel more stable if we saved our money," Zelda said honestly.

"Did you tell him that?" Winnifred asked.

"I tried," Zelda explained as she stood up from the table, threw away the watermelon rind, and washed her dish. "He didn't want to hear it. And he looked so eager…so enthusiastic…I just went along with it." She sat back down at the table, "Surely Mr. Gillis will not give him that money…right?"

"I don't know," Winnifred answered. "We've been talking about it for a while. You can't keep living in that tiny apartment. Honey, Dobie hasn't even moved _his_ things in yet…they're still in his room here. And you don't have any room for a crib or playpen or baby clothes. We still owe you a wedding gift and this would be a good investment. Do you really _hate_ the house?"

"No…of course not," Zelda insisted. "I think it could be cute…I just want us to provide for ourselves, and we can't pay for that house on our own."

"Then don't worry anymore," Winnifred smiled. "If Herbert gives Dobie the money, it will be a gift. So you can spend it however you want and it will be you and Dobie doing this…not us." Zelda tried to see her point, but it still felt less like a gift and more like a handout to her.

Downstairs, Dobie was doing his best to convince his father. He hated to ask him for money, mostly because he knew his father hated to part with it. But he didn't want to bring his new baby home to a tiny apartment. He didn't want Zelda trapped there all day with no room to move or play with the baby. He wanted a home for his family. "It has a huge backyard," he said persuasively. "Room for a barbecue grill, a swing for the baby, you and mom could come over on Sunday evenings and we could have a great time."

"Dobie…you said this place is a fixer-upper," Herbert Gillis argued. It wasn't that he didn't want to help his son, but he wasn't sure it was a good idea right now. He took his price-gun and began marking cans on the shelf. "How do you propose going about fixing it up? No offense…but you're not exactly handy when it comes to repairs."

"I know that," Dobie agreed. "But Zelda is. Have you forgotten…she completed all my wood and metal shop projects in high school, rebuilt a racecar from hand, and fixed the kitchen sink upstairs when it started leaking? She's a whiz with her hands. She can do anything."

Herbert looked at his son in disbelief, "Have you forgotten that your wife is six and a half months pregnant?" he asked.

"Of course not," Dobie said with frustration. "I wouldn't make my pregnant wife do all that work." He sighed. "But she could tell me how to do it. Besides, it's mostly just paint and nails. Really Dad…it's a good sturdy house. And it's only a few blocks from here so we'd be close to the store and close to you and Mom. And if we have the down payment then the mortgage will be pretty close to what we're paying in rent." He looked pleadingly at his father. "I'll pay you back. We can take it out of my profits from the store if you want."

"You really love this house, don't you?" Herbert asked.

Dobie shook his head, "No…I love my wife and my child. And this house would give them a safe place to live…some security. Please? I want my kid to have a home…like I always had here. Not some dingy apartment with one room. Please, Dad?"

Herbert's heart melted hearing his son talk about his own child in that way. At first he'd thought Dobie just wanted the prestige of owning a house, but now he knew he wanted what was best for his family. "Well…" he began slowly. "Your mom and I were thinking that we didn't give you and Zelda a wedding present yet. I guess this money could be our gift to you."

"Really?" Dobie smiled eagerly and hugged his father. "I'll pay you back…every cent."

"No you won't," Herbert insisted. "It's a wedding gift. It's yours."

"Dad…I don't know what to say," Dobie hugged his father again. "Thank you…so much!" Then he ran upstairs and into the kitchen where his wife and mother were sitting, sipping lemonaide. "Zelda," he rushed over to her. "My dad said he'd give us the money for the down payment. We can buy the house!" Zelda looked at him, unsure what to say. Dobie put his hand on the swell of her stomach and smiled, "Looks like this little one is getting her own room afterall," he beamed.

Zelda nodded, "Dobie…it's so much work."

"I know," he could see the fear in her eyes, and he wanted her to know it would all work out. "We'll get it done…together."

"Dobie…I'm not sure we can," Zelda disagreed. She didn't want to hurt his feelings, but she didn't want to live with false hope either.

"We can," Dobie leaned in and kissed her softly. "We can do anything, as long as we do it together." He smiled sincerely. "And we're going to grow old in that house. We're going to live there the rest of our lives. Don't you want that?"

Zelda couldn't help but smile, because suddenly she couldn't think of anything she wanted more.


	20. Chapter 20

"I'm back…" Zelda called as she walked in the door.

"In the kitchen…" Dobie called from the back of the house.

"I think it's possible that Gwen and Jack will actually finish unpacking soon," Zelda walked into the kitchen, and stopped when she saw her husband diligently working under the sink. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"Fixing the leak under here," Dobie answered quickly. He scooted out from under the sink, "All done." He reached his hand out to his wife, "Help me up." Zelda reached down to help him. Standing on his feet once again, he leaned forward and kissed her, "What were you saying about Gwen?"

"Just that she might actually finish unpacking one of these days soon," Zelda sat at the table and Dobie sat next to her. "What was wrong with the sink?"

"Just a loose washer," Dobie answered. "Simple to fix. I had a harder time getting down on the floor and back up than I did fixing the sink," he laughed.

Zelda looked around the kitchen. She thought about Gwen's mention of the green appliances. They had long since been replaced with white ones and lately she had been thinking of upgrading to the stainless steel appliances that seemed so popular, but she wasn't sure they would go well with the house. "Do you remember the first time we saw this house?" Zelda asked.

Dobie's eyes widened and he nodded, "Sure…what brought that up?"

"Oh…nothing," Zelda stood up and went to the refrigerator to get a drink. She poured a glass of ice water for herself and her husband and then sat back at the table. "I was telling Gwen about it today…while we were unpacking. You know…I really _hated_ this house."

"No you didn't," Dobie sipped his water. "You just thought you did because you couldn't imagine it all fixed up."

Zelda shook her head, "No…I hated it. It was ugly and dirty. There was so much work to do, and at the time I didn't feel like doing any of it."

"Well at the time you were moody and pregnant," Dobie laughed. "Once we started making some improvements you came around."

"Yeah, I know…" Zelda agreed. "I love this house now. But back then…I just couldn't imagine that it would ever really feel like home." She sighed, "Gwen said I don't know what she's going through because I've never had to move. That I've always lived here."

"Well, now _she's_ moody and pregnant," Dobie laughed. "Besides…she's wrong."

"She said when we got divorced, I made you move and I stayed here," Zelda said softly. "Did I do that? _Make_ you leave? I thought you wanted to."

"Zelda, I'd rather forget the divorce ever happened," Dobie said seriously.

"Well we can't," Zelda argued. "That was five years of our lives."

"Five years that are over with," Dobie insisted. "Let's just move on."

"Did you feel like I made you leave?" Zelda asked again. "I want to know."

"No," Dobie said honestly. "I _wanted_ to leave. I felt horrible about it, but I wanted to go."

"Oh," Zelda nodded.

"I can't even explain it," Dobie went on. "It was as if something just hit me. I was sixty-five years old and I felt like I had spent the majority of my life here…in this house…with you. I wanted something different." He sighed, "I don't know what I thought I wanted. It wasn't because of you…you didn't make me leave. And I wanted you to stay here; in the house. I thought I owed you that much. I'd promised you we'd spend the rest of our lives here together, and then I bailed on you. I was a jerk."

"I played a part in all of it too," Zelda said sadly. "Neither of us were innocent."

"The funny this is, as bad as this house was when we first bought it…together we made it a pretty special place," Dobie smiled weakly. "And the apartment over the store, no matter how hard I tried, when we were apart, I couldn't turn it into a home. I grew up there, but it wasn't my home anymore. No place ever feels like home to me, unless you are there too."

"When you left," Zelda added. "I really thought about selling the house. I just didn't want to stay here all alone. I thought about moving to California to be with Gwen, but I couldn't do it. I have so many memories caught up in this house," she sighed. "I can't walk into one room in this house without remembering something special that happened there."

"I know," Dobie agreed. "Me too. I think that was why I was so lonely at the apartment. I couldn't walk into the living room and remember the kids sitting on the floor in front of the TV eating cereal and watching cartoons on Saturday mornings. I couldn't walk into the kitchen and remember the year you tripped over Georgie's toy truck and dropped the Thanksgiving turkey on the floor. Plus, I had to sleep alone and I really missed our bedroom."

Zelda gave a slight laugh, "Of course _you_ would miss the bedroom."

"I missed having someone to lay next to every night; someone to talk to before climbing out of bed in the morning," Dobie insisted. "And, believe it or not, I missed that lilac potpourri you keep on the nightstand." He laughed.

"All those same things seemed to be mocking me," Zelda said sadly. "I felt like they were reminders that I had failed."

Dobie took her hand and held it tight, "I was the one who failed. Not you. Ever since I was a kid, I always thought that there was something missing in my life. I was never happy with what I had and I always wanted something else. Whether it was a class at school, or some girl I wanted to date, or even dessert…it always seemed to me like there was something I was missing by not looking for something better. And I was always wrong. When you and I started having problems…started arguing more and avoiding each other; I didn't want to stick it out. I didn't want to try harder to make you happy. I just wanted to see if I could be happier by myself. And that was my failure…not yours."

Zelda brushed away the tears that were streaming down her cheeks, "I really didn't plan to get into all of this today," she sniffled. "I'm sorry."

"We needed to talk about it," Dobie replied. "I love you, but I know I've hurt you…a lot. And just because we're back together now, doesn't mean we can just forget what happened before. You were right when you said we can't just ignore those five years of our lives."

"I didn't mean to make you miserable," Zelda admitted. "I know I was always nagging you and I picked fights with you out of frustration. I didn't try to make you happy either."

"You didn't make me miserable," Dobie insisted. "Maybe we just didn't spend enough time making each other happy." He smiled, "Good thing we have more time to fix that."

"That's a very good thing," Zelda smiled. She leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips. "Do you want to go upstairs…you know, since you missed the bedroom so much?"

Dobie smiled and winked at her, "Definitely."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"The apartment's not so bad, but the whole store area is a mess," Gwen said as she took a bite of her rice and stared across the kitchen table at her parents. She and Jack and come over for Chinese food, just to get away from the unpacking. They were overwhelmed by all they still had to do, even though they'd been in Central City for over a month. "We had to put our extra furniture down there and it needs paint. I can't figure out where to put anything so it looks like an office and not a grocery store. I don't know how we'll ever get the law office up and running."

"We'll get it done honey," Jack smiled at his wife. She was the love of his life, and he hated to see her fret over frivolous things. "You're just trying to do too much right now. We have plenty of savings. We don't have to start the law office right away. We can take our time, focus on the baby for a while."

"Jack's right," Zelda agreed with her son in law. "Sweetie…take some time to just enjoy preparing for this little boy."

Gwen shook her head and took another bite, "No…I'm a lawyer and that is important to me. I'm a mom now too, but I still need my job. It's a big part of who I am…you wouldn't understand…"

Dobie noticed immediately that his wife looked hurt by the comment. He always knew she had wished for a big career and ended up as a housewife and mother simply because she'd never had any other opportunity. She'd even considered going back to school when the kids were older, but it had never panned out. There was always some reason she couldn't…something with one of the kids, or the store, or even their marriage. But no matter what her other ambitions had been, Dobie knew his wife loved her family more than anything. They had been lucky to have her because no one else would have put in the time and dedication she had to make their lives so blessed. And Zelda was smarter than anyone he had ever known…even smarter than Gwen with her straight As and her law school degree, and he wasn't going to let his daughter sit there and dishonor her mother that way. "You need to apologize to your mother," he said seriously.

"What?" Gwen asked, confused by her father's reaction. She could tell he was angry with her, and she had never really seen that from him. From the time she was a little girl, she'd been his little princess and she couldn't remember the last time he was upset with her about anything. "What did I do?"

"You don't think your mother ever wanted something more out of life than taking care of you and your brother? You don't think she deserved more than being my wife and taking care of this house?" Dobie asked bitterly. "It's not fair for you to say she doesn't understand what you're going through, because she gave up more for you than you can even imagine."

"Dobie…don't," Zelda looked at him pleadingly. "She didn't mean anything by it."

"The hell she didn't," Dobie said angrily. He pushed his chair away from the table and stormed out the back door.

"I'm sorry…" Gwen said tearfully. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings or make Daddy angry…"

"I know sweetheart…it's okay," Zelda tried to assure her daughter. "I think your dad's just upset about some things we were discussing the other day. It really has nothing to do with you."

"Mom…I know you gave up a lot for me," Gwen cried. "I didn't mean that I don't appreciate it. And I'll give up things for my son…I know that. I just don't want to give up everything."

"I know…" Zelda stood up from the table. "It'll be okay." She headed toward the door. "I'm going to go check on your father." Zelda opened the back door and saw her husband sitting on the back porch swing. He looked sad; worried even as he let the swing glide gently back and forth. She walked over and sat next to him, putting her head on his shoulder. "What was _that_ all about?" she asked with a sigh.

"I don't know," Dobie said sadly.

"Yes you do," Zelda argued. "Why are you mad at Gwen?"

"I'm not mad at Gwen," Dobie answered. "Not really. I'm mad at myself. I've been watching you run around for the last month trying to help her get things ready for the baby; trying to get her law office fixed up…she doesn't seem to appreciate it. And honestly, I wonder how many times I've taken advantage of you and not shown you I appreciate all you've done for me. You could've had any kind of life you wanted…and you chose to be with me, raise our kids, help me with the store. I don't think you get the credit you deserve for that."

"I wanted to do those things," Zelda insisted. "You and the kids are everything to me. You always have been."

"Gwen acts like you never could've been anything else, you know?" Dobie sighed. "When we were in high school you wanted to be doctor. You could have done that. You were smart…so smart."

"I never could've done that Dobie," Zelda disagreed. "I would never have had the money…and besides, the only thing I ever really wanted in high school, was you."

Dobie shook his head in disbelief, "And I was awful to you."

"You weren't awful," Zelda smiled. "You were a teenage boy and I was a pest. In some ways I wonder how we ever ended up falling in love."

"I ruined your life," Dobie said seriously.

Zelda's eyes widened, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You could've been something else…some_one_ else," Dobie said sadly. "You could've been like Gwen…a career woman with ambition and goals. I know you wanted that. But you married me…"

"Whoa…hold it right there," Zelda's voice quivered. "I _did_ have ambition and goals. They had nothing to do with me wanting to be a doctor, or run a business, or have some fancy career. They had everything to do with being a good mom to our kids and being _your_ wife."

"But you could have had a different life; a better one; a more exciting one," Dobie argued. "You had options…but then I got you pregnant…"

"_You_ did not _get_ me pregnant," Zelda sighed. "We did that together." She sighed, "And I don't know what options you're talking about. Dobie, I was working in the bank, making barely enough money to live on and engaged to someone I didn't love. You saved me from that."

"If we hadn't gotten married…" Dobie insisted. "Maybe you could have gone to school…I know you wanted to."

"But I wouldn't have," Zelda insisted. "Sure, I liked learning new things. I loved being smart…growing up I felt like it was all I had going for me. But that doesn't mean I would rather be running some corporation or operating on patients or defending some criminal in a courtroom than sitting here on the porch swing with you. I love you. I love our kids. I wanted a life like this…much more than I ever wanted to be a big-shot in the career world. If we hadn't gotten married, I don't know where I'd be now, but I know I wouldn't be _this_ happy."

"Really?" Dobie asked with uncertainty.

"Really," Zelda insisted as she squeezed his hand.

"I just hate how Gwen dismisses you sometimes, like you don't have a clue what she's going through in life," Dobie sighed. "Is she really that self-centered?"

Zelda smiled, "She's pregnant…she's overwhelmed…she's scared. Maybe she has the right to be a little self-centered right now. She didn't mean anything by what she said. She's a great daughter and you know how lucky we are to have her."

Dobie smiled, "You're right. I probably should apologize to her, huh?"

Zelda nodded, "That might be a good idea." She kissed her husband gently. "She was crying when I came out here."

Dobie hated to see his daughter cry. From the time she was little baby her tears made him weak and he would do anything to make her happy again. "Maybe I can offer to go over and help her get the law office set up…I mean, I do know that store inside and out so I'm sure I can be of some help."

"I think that's a great idea," Zelda smiled. They stood up from the porch swing and walked back into the house.


	22. Chapter 22

"I think it looks really nice," Zelda said seriously as she looked around the former grocery store that was now her daughter's law office. She and Dobie had spent the past couple of weeks helping their daughter and son-in-law turn the old store into office spaces and it hadn't been easy, but now it looked worth the effort. "Do you like it?"

"I do," Gwen looked around the room in awe. "It's amazing," she teared up. She put her arms around her father's neck and hugged him tight. "Daddy…thank you so much. For giving me the store. I couldn't have done this without you."

Dobie hugged his daughter and kissed her cheek, "You're welcome Princess," he smiled. "You deserve it. I'm just glad you're back home."

Gwen leaned over and hugged her mother as well. "Mom, thanks. I know I've been kind of hard to handle lately." She stopped and took a deep breath, wincing a little as she put her hand to her stomach.

"You haven't been that bad," Zelda put her hand on her daughter's stomach with concern. "This little guy is rambunctious today. Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine," Gwen assured her. She took another deep breath, and the look on her face was less than fine. "I'm just uncomfortable. I feel like I'm going to explode."

Zelda was worried about her daughter. The baby wasn't due for another month, but lately Gwen had been extremely tired and moody. Her stomach had grown a lot over the past couple of weeks and she seemed at times unable to handle the strain of the pregnancy. "Why don't you sit down and rest?" Zelda suggested as she helped her daughter sit on the sofa they planned to use as a waiting area for clients.

Gwen sat down slowly, propping her feet up on the cocktail table. Her ankles her swollen beyond recognition and she looked at them with disgust, "Mom…I just don't feel very good."

"I know," Zelda said with concern. "I think you need to rest."

"Your mom's right," Jack insisted. "He walked over to his wife and placed his hand on her stomach, feeling their son kicking. "Why don't you go upstairs and sleep for a while. Maybe your mom can stay up there with you in case you need anything and your dad and I can finish down here."

"Sure we can," Dobie agreed. "All we have left is to move out the old cash register and put a few boxes in storage."

"I want to keep the cash register," Gwen said quickly. She looked at the old machine and smiled, "I have a lot of good memories attached to that thing."

"I think we all do," Zelda agreed.

Dobie laughed, "I thought your mother was going to give birth to you standing right at this cash register."

"What?" Gwen asked with a chuckle. "You never told me that."

"He was overreacting," Zelda smiled. "As usual."

"Your water broke, right there…" Dobie pointed to the spot where the cash register had sat on a counter for years. "While you were ringing up a customer. What was I supposed to think?"

"Not that…" Zelda laughed. "You acted like she was going to fall out or something. You were in a panic."

"Of course I was," Dobie agreed. "I'd never had a baby before. I was scared to death."

"You screamed for your mother," Zelda teased.

Gwen and Jack laughed. Jack looked at his wife and smiled, "I promise not to freak out when you go into labor…but please don't let your water break all over our nice new flooring."

"I'll do my best," Gwen kissed her husband. She took another deep breath, an uncomfortable look on her face, "You know," she sighed. "I think I _will_ go upstairs and lay down a while."

"I think that's a good idea," Zelda said seriously. "Jack…why don't you go up with her? Dobie and I will finish down here."

"Are you sure?" Jack asked.

Zelda nodded, "I'm sure. Just make sure she gets some rest."

Jack helped his wife up slowly and led her upstairs. Zelda watched as they headed up the stairs and then looked at her husband, "She doesn't look good. I'm worried."

"She's just tired," Dobie replied. "Pregnant women get tired. You were exhausted both times you were pregnant."

"Not like _that_," Zelda disagreed. "Maybe it's because she's in her forties. I don't know…something just seems off to me."

"Well if you're that worried, why didn't you say something?" Dobie asked as he carried a box into the back room.

"I don't want to scare her," Zelda answered. "It's probably nothing. I always worry about her…you know that."

"I do know that," Dobie walked back into the room and put his arms around his wife kissing her softly. "That's why you're such a great mother."

Zelda looked around the room, putting her fears about her daughter aside. "Can you believe this was the Gillis Grocery Store?" she asked, glancing at the cherry wood desks and cabinets, the wood laminate flooring offset by soft gray carpets, and the plush sofas. "It looks so different."

"I know," Dobie held her close. "I can still remember Gwen and Georgie playing over there by the window while I was filling prescriptions and you were stocking the shelves or ringing up customers. It seems like yesterday, and now they're both grown with their own families."

"Sometime we'll come here to see Gwen and our grandson will be playing by that window," Zelda smiled.

"Yeah," Dobie hugged her a little closer. "I don't think I'm going to miss this place as much as I thought. I'm glad it's being put to good use. I'm glad Gwen is going to have it. My dad would be so proud of her."

"He would have," Zelda agreed. "I have no doubt about that. And he'd be proud of you too."


	23. Chapter 23

Zelda was startled awake by the phone ringing on the nightstand. She pulled away from her husband's still-sleeping embrace and rolled over glancing at the clock. It was barely 5:00 AM. "Hello," she yawned as she picked up the phone. Dobie woke up then, listening to his wife talk on the phone. "Okay…yes…no, tell her we'll be there…right away…bye." Zelda put down the phone and looked nervously at her husband, "That was Jack. He's taking Gwen to the hospital."

"What?" Dobie asked. "Why? The baby isn't due for a month."

Zelda climbed out of bed, grabbing her clothes. "She's not in labor. She's sick. He said her pulse is racing and her head hurts so badly she can't sleep." She felt tears welling in her eyes, "I knew something wasn't right."

"Hey…she'll be okay," Dobie promised. He got out of bed and dressed quickly. He thought about all the times they had panicked over their daughter. When she was two she'd had what started out like a cold but ended up with a high fever that wouldn't seem to break and Zelda had been frantic. Two days in the hospital while the doctors tried to bring her fever down, and Zelda hadn't left her side. At seven, she'd had chicken pox that had spread across her whole body and even down her throat. All the while, her mother had soothed her as best she could while the little girl itched and cried and Dobie would come home from work to find his wife worn out and sobbing from seeing their daughter in such misery all day. Then to make matters worse, Georgie had caught them and at only four years old he was in more danger than his sister. And when she was nineteen she'd gone skiing with some friends for the weekend, and broken her leg. That was probably the last time Gwen was in the hospital. She'd been okay, but Dobie and Zelda had been terrified as they drove up to the ski lodge, and then it had taken weeks for her to heal and be back to normal. Other than that she had been pretty healthy, and even those few times had turned out okay, so Dobie was sure she would be fine now as well.

They rushed into the hospital, but when they asked about their daughter they were told to wait in the waiting room. Zelda couldn't sit still and Dobie knew he'd never calm her down so he didn't try. He just watched her pace back and forth across the room. "She's going to be fine," he promised again. "You know that."

Zelda sat next to him, "I don't know that," she argued. "I knew she was sick…last night. I should have said something. I was afraid of scaring her, but she could have pre-eclampsia or she could be having a stroke or something…"

"She's not," Dobie insisted. "She _could_ just have a headache."

Zelda shook her head, "She was so swollen and tired. She even said she didn't feel good and Gwen doesn't do that." She sighed, "I should have said something…done something."

Just then, Jack walked into the room. He looked frazzled and pale. Dobie could tell from the look on his face that Gwen didn't just have a headache and suddenly he was as panicked as his wife. He stood up and looked his son-in-law in the eye, "What's wrong?" he asked.

Jack's voice shook as he spoke and his voice cracked from the tears he was holding back, "They're not sure. Probably pre-eclampsia. Her blood pressure is really high and the doctor said it's pretty common at her age," he swallowed. "But the baby is in distress…they think they might have to do a c-section and get him out…"

Zelda stood next to her husband and grabbed his hand, "Do they think the baby will be okay?" she asked.

"They're not sure," Jack cried. "She wants to see you," he said to his mother-in-law.

"Go on," Dobie told his wife. Looking at his son-in-law he realized how much this man cared about his daughter, how much he loved her, and how scared he was. He waited to for Zelda to walk through the doors toward their daughter's room and then he turned back to Jack who was still trying unsuccessfully not to cry. He hugged him for the first time, "Gwen's going to be fine…and so is the baby," he promised. His son-in-law collapsed in his arms and sobbed uncontrollably. For the first time, they felt like a family.


	24. Chapter 24

"Sweetie…you're going to be fine," Zelda assured her daughter as she sat beside her and stroked her hair. "Try to relax and calm down."

"Mom…my head hurts so much," Gwen sobbed. "And my baby…"

"The baby's okay," Zelda insisted. She was listening to her grandson's heartbeat thumping through the room by way of the monitor they had attached to her daughter. The doctor had just said his heartbeat had regulated and he didn't seem to be in distress anymore, but they were still worried by Gwen's blood pressure and headache. "Listen to his heartbeat…he's perfectly fine. You just close your eyes, take some deep breaths, and try to get your blood pressure down. Then you'll feel better."

Gwen closed her eyes, more to appease her mother than anything else. She was in agonizing pain and she knew nothing was going to help. "Mom…I'm scared," she whispered.

Zelda held her daughter's hand and squeezed it tight. "I know you are baby. I know…" her voice trailed off. She wasn't sure what else to say. "You're going to be fine," she promised again. "I know that. You've been in this hospital before and they've always taken good care of you."

"I have?" Gwen asked, her voice breathy and weak.

"Of course," Zelda whispered, trying to keep her own voice calm. "You were born here…right down the hall." She smiled thinking about that day; the day she had gone from being her own person to someone's mother. Nothing had ever been the same after that. "And when you were a little girl, you had an infection and ended up here for two days while they tried to bring down your fever. I felt terrible because I'd thought you just had a cold, and I didn't take you to the doctor right away…and then you got so sick. I felt like a terrible mother…like I should have known…"

"You were never a terrible mother," Gwen's voice quivered. Her eyes were still closed but she squeezed her mother's hand a little tighter.

Dobie and Jack walked into the room and Zelda glanced at them, giving a look that let them know Gwen was still very sick. Jack walked over to his wife and kissed her forehead, "I'm back," he whispered. "And I brought your dad with me. How are you doing?"

"The doctor said the baby is okay," she said softly.

"That's good news," Jack said, gratefully. Zelda stood up so her son-in-law could sit next to his wife. Jack looked at Gwen, her face contorted in pain, "But how are _you_?"

Gwen opened her eyes and looked at her husband and her parents. They could all tell it was a chore for her to look at them. The pain was apparent on her face, "I think I'm going to die…"

Jack looked at his in-laws in shock. He knew Gwen was sick, but he'd never expected to hear her say something so awful.

"You're not going to die," Dobie choked on the words. "You're going to be okay…the doctors will take care of this." He saw all the color drain from his wife's face when their daughter spoke and he put his arm around her to hold her close. "She's going to be fine," he whispered to her and she nodded slightly.

"Your Dad's right, Gwen," Jack kissed her again. "I know you're sick. I'm so sorry…"

Suddenly the doctor walked in, concern on his face. He looked at Gwen, her eyes closed again to shield out the bright light, and at her family. "The test results indicate pre-eclampsia," he said seriously. "Our best bet is to deliver the baby. Once we get the baby out, you will recover quickly."

"No," Gwen's voice was weak, but firm. "You said he's not in distress anymore, and he's not due yet."

The doctor looked at her and spoke seriously, "If we don't deliver the baby now, you may have a seizure or a stroke. Your blood pressure is not reacting to the medication. It's safest to deliver the baby _now_. If you have a seizure or stroke, he may end up with brain damage or even die. Right now, he'll be small, but I am convinced he's pretty healthy. We need to get you up to surgery."

"I don't want to have a c-section," Gwen wanted to cry, but she was too weak. "Just induce me…"

"Your body can't tolerate labor," the doctor said matter-of-factly. "I know I sound grim, but you would stroke out trying to give birth if we induced you. Your blood pressure is too high."

Zelda gasped listening to the doctor, "Gwendolyn…listen to the doctor baby. Don't be stubborn about this."

"Your mom's right," Jack agreed. "We have to do this. And I'll be with you…you'll be okay…and we can meet our son." The doctor continued to inform them about how necessary the surgery was, even if it was also a risk. Then he listed the risks to Gwen and the baby, but insisted delivering the baby was still the best option. Everyone in the room seemed to understand there were no guarantees, no matter what Gwen decided to do, but this was the best chance at saving her life and keeping the baby safe.

"I'm scared," Gwen admitted.

"Don't be scared," Dobie said gently. "You're going to get through this, and you're going to be such a good mom. I can't wait to see you hold that little baby in your arms."

"Thanks Daddy," Gwen sighed. Her head was still pounding and her vision was blurry when she tried to look at her family and the doctor. "Okay," she gave in. "Let's have this baby."

Dobie and Zelda watched as their daughter's bed was wheeled off to surgery, her husband at her side. Jack was a good husband and he would be a great father. He had proven that to them through this whole experience. They walked back to the waiting room and sat down, nervously awaiting any news. "She's so stubborn," Dobie sighed as his wife put her head on his shoulder. "She gets that from you."

Zelda cried, "I know…and I'm sorry."

"Honey…don't cry," Dobie hugged her closer. "I didn't mean anything by it."

"It's not that," Zelda sniffled. "But she could've died. She still could. God Dobie, when she said she thought she was going to die…I almost passed out. I couldn't survive that…"

"She was in pain and she wasn't thinking clearly," Dobie reminded her. "She's going to be okay. The doctor said this was the best thing to do."

"I gave birth to her right down the hall," Zelda said sadly. "All I can think about is how beautiful she was…how I never wanted to put her down…I just wanted to hold her close to me for the rest of my life. And now, I could lose her in this very same place," she sobbed. "She's my baby…"

"And she's about to be someone's mom," Dobie reminded her. "She's stubborn, _like_ _you_…remember. She's not going to give up without a fight. She's going to be okay. I know that. I promise…" He held his wife close while she cried. All they could do was wait.


	25. Chapter 25

By the time the summer of 1968 was coming to a close, Dobie and Zelda were content in their new home. Zelda had hated it at first, complaining all the time about the dirty walls, leaky faucets, and rickety floorboards, but Dobie had proven himself more than capable of completing the repairs. He had been right, it was mostly cosmetic, and the other things that required more work he could fix with some dedication and frequent trips to the Central City library for "how to" books. Zelda had to admit she was surprised by how quickly her husband had turned the old house into a home.

"What are you doing in here?" Dobie asked as he walked into the nursery and found his wife sitting in the rocking chair, her hand pushing gently on her stomach.

"Just looking at the baby's room," Zelda sighed. "I love the yellow ducks on the walls." Dobie had decided to paint the room a pale green and then attached wallpaper border with little yellow duckling all around the room. "The room's so pretty…"

"I'm glad you like it," he smiled. "I hope out little boy or girl will like it." He put his hand on her stomach and rubbed gently. He was amazed by how big she'd gotten and he knew she was more than ready for their baby to be born. Zelda startled him when she gasped and put her hand to the side of her stomach. "Are you okay? Are you in labor or something?"

"No," Zelda shook her head and smiled at his eagerness. She pushed again on her stomach and sighed, "The baby won't move and my side hurts." The doctor had said there was less room for the baby to move now, so Zelda knew she'd probably have to put up with her baby's uncomfortable position until birth, but she was hoping for a little relief. "Help me up," she put out her hands and Dobie pulled her up from the rocking chair, "I want to go with you to the store today. I'm tired of sitting around here."

Dobie looked at his wife in disbelief. She was in no condition to work at the store, but he didn't want to argue with her either. "Honey…are you sure?" he asked. "Maybe you should stay here and rest up. My mom could come over and stay with you…"

"I need to get out of this house," Zelda insisted. She put her hand to her back and winced, "This back pain is awful today."

"Then you don't need to go to the store," Dobie argued. He rubbed her back gently and she took a deep breath. "Lay down for a while."

"I'm tired of laying around," Zelda sighed. "Why don't you want me to go? Are you that sick of looking at me?" she asked tearfully.

"Of course not," Dobie knew he had to appease her before she ended up sobbing uncontrollably. "I love having you with me…but I want you to rest…you need to take care of yourself and the baby."

"We're fine. I want to go with you…please? I miss you during the day." she pleaded and Dobie looked into her face and couldn't argue anymore. "I'm gonna go get dressed," she said as she walked slowly toward their bedroom.

Dobie wondered what she was planning to wear since she'd been complaining for almost a month that her maternity clothes were too tight, and she'd been making due with her pajamas for almost a week now. She had gained a lot of weight with this pregnancy, and not just in her stomach. Her hips were wider and her face had filled out a lot. Plus her chest seemed to spill out of pretty much every top she owned. He hadn't expected her body to change so drastically and while Dobie would never have said it to her, he wondered if she was going to be able to lose the weight after the baby was born. He felt bad for her. Zelda had always been so tiny, and now her small frame seemed like it was ready to collapse under the strain of the pregnancy weight. The doctor insisted everything was fine, that she hadn't gained any more weight than most pregnant women, but that her height and small frame simply made it look like she was bigger than normal, but still Dobie worried about her. He was afraid the baby might be too big and Zelda wouldn't be able to give birth without complications. Lately, he was scared pretty much every second of the day, and it was hard not to let her see that.

"I'm ready," Zelda emerged from the bedroom, dressed in a brown maternity dress that clung to her stomach but did fit well enough to wear out in public. It had a big pink bow at the neckline that drew attention to her blossoming cleavage, but that couldn't be helped. She had pulled her hair back into a ponytail and dabbed some pink lipstick on her lips, but that was the most primping she could be bothered with at this point. "I look terrible…don't I?" she asked, tears forming in her eyes once again.

Dobie shook his head and smiled, "You look beautiful." He kissed her and put his hand carefully on her stomach. "Promise me you won't overdo things at the store today."

"I promise," Zelda smiled. "I'll be a big help…but I won't do too much. I'll just do whatever you want me to do."

"Okay," Dobie agreed. "Are you ready to go?"

"Almost," Zelda laughed a little. "Can you help me put my shoes on? I can't reach my feet."

Dobie smiled. He knew she wasn't going to be able to help out at the store, but if it made her happy to be there with him, he'd go along with it. "Of course I will help you put your shoes on," he chuckled. "I can't have my wife barefoot and pregnant, working in the store, can I? What would people say?"

Zelda laughed, "Thanks…for letting me go with you. I just want to be with you."

"I know…" Dobie kissed her. "I want to be with you too."


	26. Chapter 26

"Why did you bring her here?" Herbert asked his son as he glanced over at his daughter-in-law attempting to arrange some cans on a shelf. She couldn't bend down to get to the lower shelves, and when she tried to reach up to the higher ones, she'd gasp at the pain in her back, so she wasn't managing to do much more than straighten the cans that were at eye level. This was the fourth job she had attempted since she arrived that morning; it was approaching noon and she'd succeeded at none of them. "She shouldn't be here. She's gonna have that baby right here…watch and see."

"She is not," Dobie argued. "Besides, she's miserable at home. She wanted to come with me. What was I supposed to say?"

"You were supposed to say 'no.'" Herbert sighed.

Winifred Gillis walked in carrying a box and sat it on the counter, "What should he have said 'no' about?" she asked as she began to unpack packages of cookies from the box and arrange them on the shelf near the register.

Herbert motioned toward his daughter-in-law, "About bringing his wife in here when she's about ready to pop."

"Oh Herbert," Winifred smirked. "Don't be so crude. Besides, you're being ridiculous. She's not hurting anything and she's probably getting pretty anxious sitting at home waiting."

"If she has that kid in this store…" Herbert let his voice trail off as a customer came in and he went to help her.

"I didn't want to bring her," Dobie explained to his mother as he worked on filling a pill bottle. "She insisted. And there's no reasoning with her anymore." He watched as his wife stopped fidgeting with the cans and put her hand to her back, wincing again at the pain. "Her back is killing her. I wish she'd agree to lay down for a while."

Winifred looked at her daughter-in-law and then back at her son. "How long has her back been hurting?' she asked.

"It's been bothering her a lot the last couple of months," Dobie explained. "But today seems to be worse. I can tell she's in pain…I can see it on her face."

Winifred nodded, "I'll see if I can get her to come upstairs with me and rest for a bit." She walked over to her daughter-in-law and smiled, "Do you want to come upstairs with me and get some lunch?" she asked.

Zelda's face looked almost green, "I don't really feel like eating right now." She put her hand back to her back and let out a slight moan. "I don't feel very well."

"Let's get you upstairs," Winifred took her arm and guided her toward the stairs. "I'll make you some tea and you can lay down for a while." This time Zelda didn't feel like arguing. She stopped to kiss her husband and lean her head on his chest while he gently massaged her back, and then followed her mother-in-law upstairs and climbed into the bed in her husband's old bedroom. Winifred brought the tea and Zelda sipped at it. "You call me if you need something," Winifred said as she closed the bedroom door and before long, Zelda had fallen asleep.

Winifred walked back downstairs. "She's asleep," she said as her son put labels on medicine bottles.

"Thank God," Dobie sighed. "I've never seen her like this. She's being so clingy and she looks awful."

Winifred nodded, "I think you're going to be a Daddy pretty soon," she smiled at her son and hugged him.

"You mean…_today_?" Dobie asked with shock.

"Soon," Winifred said again. "Maybe not today…but that baby is coming...when she wakes up, I think you better get her home. And I wouldn't plan on being here tomorrow if I were you."

"Maybe I should take her to the hospital," Dobie panicked.

"Not yet," Winifred assured him. "She's okay right now. Just let her sleep. She's going to need her rest."

Dobie watched as his mother walked over to his father and the two talked cheerfully as they took inventory and stocked new items. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't focus on his work any longer. The rest of the afternoon was nothing more than a blur.


	27. Chapter 27

Dobie was working by himself in the store when Zelda finally came back downstairs. His father had gone upstairs to rest since he wasn't supposed to work more than half-days and his mother was getting things ready for dinner. Zelda had been asleep for almost four hours, so when she came down he was surprised. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked, and quickly ran to her side. He put his hand on her stomach and patted gently, "Is the baby okay?"

Zelda smiled and nodded, "We're both fine. Stop worrying," she walked over to the pharmacy section of the store and sat down on the chair Dobie kept behind the counter. "I can't believe I slept so long."

"My mom thinks you're in labor," Dobie said honestly. "Is she right? Do you want to go to the hospital?"

Zelda shook her head, "I'm fine. I don't need to go to the hospital…not yet." She put her hand on her stomach and let out a deep sigh, "I want to go home though…can we go home?"

"Sure…yeah…of course we can," Dobie picked up the things he was working on at the counter. "Let me finish this really fast…okay? Will you be okay if I finish these last few prescriptions?"

Zelda nodded, "Go ahead…I'll just lock up." She stood up slowly, the pain in her back taking her breath away briefly before letting up. "God…my back…"

"Let's just go," Dobie said nervously. "I can finish this another time."

"No you can't," Zelda argued. "Not if someone needs them now. I'm fine…finish up." She headed toward the door but before she could lock it, it swung open and an older woman walked in. "Mrs. McKinney, we're closing for the day," she said, nearly out of breath.

The woman looked at her watch and then back at Zelda, "It's barely 4:30. You're always open until 6."

"We're closing early today," Dobie called from the pharmacy counter. Then he closed the partition that separated the pharmacy counter from the rest of the store. No one bugged him more than Mrs. McKinney and if he could avoid dealing with her, he would.

"Well I'll be quick," Mrs. McKinney ignored the fact that the store wasn't open and walked right in. Zelda sighed and followed her back to the cash register where the woman handed her a list. "I need eggs, bread, and two cans of tuna fish."

Zelda reluctantly took her list. She knew one of the things people liked about the store was that Mr. Gillis had always taken their list and packaged everything himself, but when Dobie had expanded the store and added the pharmacy it had become more of a self-serve business. Some of the older customers never became accustomed to the new way of shopping though, and while most days she didn't mind filling their orders, today she didn't feel like it. It seemed to take forever for her to pack the four items into the box and she realized the pain in her back was getting worse. She looked back to where her husband was still working behind the partition, filling the rest of the prescriptions and wished he were finished. She leaned on the counter for support as she rang up the order and took the money from Mrs. McKinney. "Thanks…we'll see you again soon," she said, her breathing heavy enough to interfere with her words.

The older woman looked at her and smiled, "I'm surprised to see you here today, dear. When are you going to have that baby?" she asked.

Zelda thought about telling her she might have it right there in the store if the woman didn't get out, but decided against it. "Soon," she said, clutching the side of the counter. "Bye now…come again." She gasped again in pain, trying to stay calm. Maybe she'd have Dobie take her to the hospital after all.

The woman walked toward the door, "Isn't your six month wedding anniversary coming up soon?" she asked with a snicker. "I suppose you'll be telling everyone the baby is premature. I'm not sure people will believe you though…looks like you might end up with a pretty big baby."

"I'm not going to lie to people," Zelda snipped.

"Well, some people might talk you know," Mrs. McKinney said. "Not me of course…who am I to judge?"

"Leave!" Zelda yelled. "Now…get out!" As the old woman walked out the door in a huff, Zelda suddenly felt an unbearable pain, and grabbed hold of the cash register drawer that was still out from the purchase she was ringing up. "Dobie!" she yelled, as she felt a warm gush of water between her legs. "DOBIE!" she screamed again.

He peeked his head around the pharmacy partition, "What?" he asked and then he saw her huddled in pain, still grasping the cash register drawer and he ran to her as quickly as he could. "What happened? What's wrong?"

"My water broke…" she cried. "It's such a mess…" Suddenly she groaned in pain and Dobie had to grab her to steady her.

"Oh God…just breathe or something…like in class…" he was shaking all over and couldn't remember what he was supposed to do. "Mom!" he called toward the stairs. "MOM! HURRY!"

Winifred ran down the stairs, worried by her son's screams, "What's wrong?" she asked, but as she looked at her son and daughter-in-law, she knew what was going on.

"Her water broke…" Dobie panicked. "What do we do? Should I mop the floor…"

Winifred rolled her eyes and ran over, grabbing Zelda's hand, "Don't worry about mopping the floor. Call her doctor…now." Dobie seemed in a daze as he headed toward the phone, and Winifred led her daughter-in-law to a chair and sat her down. "Are you alright, honey?" she asked gently.

Zelda nodded, "Yeah…I think so…" she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She looked over at her husband who appeared to be having trouble dialing the telephone, "Is Dobie okay? I don't think he can handle this…"

"He's okay," Winifred assured her. "You'll see. He'll be strong when you need him to be. He's just in a bit of a panic right now." She looked over to her son and yelled out the doctor's number so he could dial it. Then she looked back to her daughter-in-law. "Maybe I should have called the doctor myself and let him mop the floor…" Winifred chuckled.

Zelda laughed, "Maybe that would have been a good idea." She sighed, "I can't believe I'm going to be a mom…"

"You're going to be a great mom," Winifred hugged her. "I can't believe I am going to be a grandma."

Zelda smiled, "I'm glad my baby has you for a grandma," she said honestly. "After we go to the hospital…will you do me a favor?" she asked. "Will you call my mom…just to let her know."

"Of course I will sweetie," Winifred knew that no matter how much Zelda loved her, she missed her own mother. Zelda's parents barely spoke to her, but she knew her daughter-in-law still wished they'd change their minds and accept her and the baby.

"Thanks," she said tearfully.

Dobie walked over to them, looking almost sick from nerves, "She said…uhm…the doctor…she said we need to go. You know…to the hospital…"

"Yeah…I know," Zelda laughed a little and reached her hand out to him, "Pull me up from here."

"The baby's not going to fall out or anything?" Dobie asked worried.

Zelda's eyes widened, "Of course not! Didn't you take about ten pages of notes at every single childbirth class? What is wrong with you?"

"I'm sorry…" Dobie grabbed her and helped her up. "I guess I'm not the best student. I'm sorry…I should've learned what to do."

"It's okay," Zelda leaned into him and let him guide her toward the door. Then she stopped and squeezed his hand, trying to steady her breathing to help her with the pain.

Dobie held her hand and rubbed her back, "You're doing great…" he said gently. "Just keep breathing…the pain will pass in a minute."

It wasn't long before the pain stopped and Zelda looked at him and smiled, "I guess you did learn something, huh?"

"I guess so," Dobie kissed her, then smiled and gave her a wink, "Let's go have a baby"


	28. Chapter 28

"We don't allow fathers in the labor room," the nurse said, her voice sharp. "I don't care what your doctor said. You have no business in there."

"But I took the classes," Dobie argued.

"I don't even know what you're talking about," the nurse dismissed his concerns. "Say good-bye to your wife and finish filling out the paperwork. We'll be out to update you."

"You'll be okay," Dobie knelt down to where his wife was sitting in a wheelchair. Her brown eyes were full of fear and he didn't want to leave her alone. "You can do this. You don't need me."

"Yes I do," Zelda cried. "Dobie…I don't want to go in there alone. Please…"

"Honey…they won't let me go," he was heartbroken because he knew she was scared and he wanted to make her feel better. He leaned in and kissed her, and then whispered in her ear, "I'll get in there…it may take a while though, so be brave until I get there…" He stood up and looked at the nurse, "I want to see Dr. Peterson when she gets here," he insisted.

"Okay," the nurse agreed. "But she doesn't make the rules at _this_ hospital," she said as she began to push the wheelchair down the hall.

"No…please," Zelda cried as the nurse wheeled her away. "I want him with me. Please…"

The nurse rolled her eyes and ignored her as she wheeled her down the hall. Dobie watched them go, not sure what he should do. He had promised Zelda he would be there to help her, and now the hospital wouldn't let him and even though he'd told her he'd find a way in, he was sure he would just be kicked out again. He picked up a pen and filled out the papers, and then walked into the father's waiting room. There were two other men in there, and the room was full of cigarette smoke. He didn't smoke, but he was tempted to try it to calm his nerves. He sat on a small sofa next to one of the men, while the other one flipped through a magazine across the room.

"Is this your first baby?" the other man on the sofa looked at him.

Dobie nodded, "Yeah…what about you?"

"This'll be our first too," the man said with excitement. "I hope it's a boy. We're going to name him Carl Jr. Maybe call him CJ. Isn't that a great name for a baby?"

"Yeah," Dobie nodded nervously.

"What about you?" the man asked. "What are you naming yours?"

Dobie shrugged, "We haven't really decided. We can't agree."

"Cutting it kind of close, aren't you?" the man laughed.

"I guess so," Dobie agreed. He looked at the clock, "I want to go in there with her. They won't let me."

"Why would you want to do that?" the man asked with uncertainty.

"So she's not alone. So I can help her. We took the classes…" Dobie knew he hadn't wanted to be in there originally, but now all he could think about was how far away Zelda seemed and he wondered if she was okay, if their baby was okay.

A nurse walked in and talked to the man sitting across from them. Then she led him to a window where another nurse held a tiny baby wrapped in a pink blanket. The man smiled and looked at the nurse, "She's pretty," he said. "Our first girl. We have a boy at home." He looked at Dobie and his seatmate. "Come see my daughter." Both men walked over to the window and looked at the baby. Even though the three men had never seen each other before that day, they were instantly bonded by sharing such a life-changing experience.

"She's cute," Dobie said, even though the baby was blotchy and purple and crying, and he prayed his own child wouldn't look like that.

"Isn't she?" the proud father beamed. "Her name's Heather Claire."

"That's a nice name," Dobie couldn't help but think Heather suited the purple baby perfectly.

"Dobie?" Dr. Peterson's voice shocked him and he turned from the viewing window. "You can come back with me."

Dobie left the two men staring at the baby and walked over to the doctor. "The nurse said I can't. She said it's against the rules."

"I know," Dr. Peterson smiled. "But she doesn't understand that I have my own rules for my patients. She may not like it, but it's none of her business." She led him down the long corridor, "Zelda's doing great. I think you'll have a baby in a couple of hours." She pushed open the door to the room, and Dobie saw his wife sitting in the bed, a different nurse trying to help her breathe through her contractions. It had been over an hour since the first nurse had wheeled her off and sent him to the waiting room, and he could tell she was having a lot more pain now than before. He wished he could have been there to help her.

"Honey, I'm here," he walked over to the bed and rubbed her shoulders. "Dr. Peterson said you're doing a great job."

"Where have you been?" she looked at him, her voice shaking. "I needed you."

"I'm sorry," Dobie knew Zelda was in too much pain to reason with. "I'm here now."

"I don't know if I can do this," she sobbed. "It really hurts…you have no idea…" She squeezed his hand as another contraction left her unable to speak and he tried to keep her focused on her breathing. Dobie was worried that maybe she couldn't handle it. She groaned as she came out of the contraction and her breathing was heavy, "I think I'm gonna be sick…" she cried.

"It's okay," the nurse said as she put a tub in front of her. "It's normal. Happens all the time."

Dobie watched as his wife vomited. Her hair was falling out of the ponytail, clinging to her face with sweat and he carefully pulled it back to keep her from throwing up on it. Then he handed her some water to rinse her mouth. She wasn't allowed to drink it and he could tell she was hot and tired. He took a cool cloth and put it to her forehead. "You're doing great and this will all be over soon," he tried to assure her, but he didn't really believe it himself. He was scared seeing his wife like this, and right then he would have given anything to be back in the smoke-filled waiting room looking at someone else's ugly purple baby.

Zelda squeezed his hand again, and panted short even breaths through the next contraction. All Dobie could do was try to encourage her, but he wasn't even sure she was listening. "I don't want to do this anymore," she sobbed as she leaned back on her pillow. Dobie wanted to say she was being ridiculous, but in all honesty he didn't blame her for wanting to quit. He didn't want to watch her go through it anymore either, so instead he just told her she _could_ do it and was doing a great job. They went back and forth like that for hours, Dobie telling her not to give up and Zelda insisting she couldn't go on, until finally the contractions were so close together that she couldn't even speak and the doctor said it was time to deliver the baby.

They prepared to take her to the delivery room and once again the angry nurse they'd met when Zelda was admitted came into the room to tell Dobie there was no way he was going in. At that point, he was so tired and scared that he wished he could let his wife go in to deliver their baby alone, but the doctor looked at the nurse and told her that she made decisions regarding her patients and that he could go inside if he wanted to. He didn't have the nerve to admit he didn't want to go in. So, he put on the green scrubs the doctor handed him and walked along side his wife as they wheeled her down the hall.

The doctor kept telling Zelda to push and Dobie knew she was trying, but she was weak and tired and nothing seemed to be happening. So, the doctor asked him to stand behind her and let her hold both of his hands at once so she could bear down more easily. She screamed and pushed and dug her fingernails so deeply in the skin on his hands that they cut clear through and left small pools on blood. It hurt, and he almost pulled his hand away, but then he thought about how much pain his wife was in and knew he didn't have any right to complain about some cuts on his hands.

"Excellent job Zelda," the doctor's voice was calm. "I can see the baby's head…look in the mirror and you can see too." Zelda looked up at the mirror and Dobie looked too, but quickly turned his head away. He felt woozy looking at the blood and all he could think was that if they hadn't been drinking on New Year's Eve they wouldn't even be here now. She wouldn't have to go through this. "I need you to push again," the doctor said in her gentle voice. "Really hard this time…"

"I'm tired," Zelda moaned. "I'm too tired…"

"Come on honey," Dobie looked at her and knew he had to help her through this. She was so pale and he was afraid if she didn't have the baby soon something was going to go wrong. "You can do this…the baby's almost here…" He grabbed her hands and told her to push and while she screamed and dug her nails further into his skin he told her he loved her and couldn't wait to meet their baby. After a few more pushes a piercing cry filled the room and the doctor held their baby in her arms. Dobie looked at his wife, his eyes full of tears, "Oh my God…you did it…" he said, staring in disbelief.

"It's a girl," the doctor smiled at the couple and held the baby up so they could see her. "We'll clean her up and then you can hold her."

"No…I want to hold her now," Zelda leaned back against her pillow, exhausted. "Please…"

"Okay," the doctor carefully placed the squirming newborn in her mother's arms. "Just for a minute. We need to weigh and measure her."

"She's so beautiful," Dobie looked at his wife, cuddling their daughter and didn't seem to notice that their baby was almost as purple and blotchy as the one he'd seen earlier that day. "I can't believe she's ours." His voice was a near whisper and he ran his finger along in daughter's cheek in awe, "We did this…we created this perfect little person…"

"Yeah," Zelda cried and kissed her daughter's wet head and then looked at her husband, "I love her…so much."

"Me too," Dobie smiled at the tiny baby as she fussed and scrunched up her face. "I think she has your nose."

Zelda laughed a little, "Maybe…I think she looks like you though. She has your weak chin," she teased. "But it looks good on her."

"That's my _father's_ chin," Dobie laughed. He ran his finger delicately along his daughter's cheek once more. "It doesn't matter who she looks the most like…she's gorgeous."

"You want to hold her?" Zelda asked.

"Yeah…of course," Dobie was still in shock and when Zelda placed the baby in his arms he was so overcome with emotion he didn't know how to stop his tears from sliding down his cheeks. "She needs a name," he said softly.

"I want to name her Gwendolyn," Zelda said with a smile. "It's pretty…kind of like a fairy tale princess."

Dobie smiled, "Okay…I think I'll just call her Princess."

"You would," Zelda laughed. She watched as her husband swayed their daughter back and forth in his arms and she had never felt as much love for him as she did at that moment. He was disheveled and tired, but holding their baby in his arms, he was the most handsome he had ever been. "What's your mom's middle name," she asked.

"Ruth…why?" Dobie asked.

"Then that's her name…Gwendolyn Ruth Gillis," Zelda reached for the baby and Dobie handed their daughter back to her mother.

He smiled, "Yeah…that's definitely her name." In a few minutes the nurse insisted on taking the baby to clean her up and record her measurements. Zelda gave her up reluctantly, and then leaned back on her bed, overcome with exhaustion. Dobie leaned over and kissed her, "I love you," he said, "Thanks for getting our daughter here safe and sound."

Zelda let her eyes flutter open, "Thanks for helping me." She looked at his hands, still bloody and bruised, "Go ask one of the nurses to clean up your hands. I'm sorry about that…"

"Don't be," Dobie kissed her. "Get some sleep. I'm going to go call everyone I know and tell them our little Princess is here."

"It's almost midnight," Zelda glanced at the clock on the wall. "Everyone's asleep."

"Little Gwendolyn's grandparents are not asleep," he laughed. "I can guarantee that."

Zelda nodded. He headed toward the door and she called after him, "Dobie…" she smiled. "I love you too." He watched as she closed her eyes again and instantly fell asleep. Then he looked over at the baby, the nurse was weighing her and the scale said eight pounds, nine ounces. She was a pretty big newborn, but to him she was tiny and fragile. The hustle and bustle in the delivery room was a blur to him…all he could see was his wife and baby. They meant everything to him, and he knew in that second that his life would never be the same.


	29. Chapter 29

"Any news yet?" Georgie asked as he walked into the waiting room. His mother had texted him that his sister was sick and having her baby early, and he knew he needed to be there.

"Not yet," Dobie said, hugging his son. "Where are Chatsy and the kids?"

"At home…I didn't want them up here…in case…" he stopped short of what he had planned say.

"Your sister is going to be fine and so will the baby," Dobie gave his son a glare and looked toward Zelda who was frantically tapping her nails on the end table.

"I know," Georgie agreed. He sat next to his mother and hugged her, "Everything's going to be fine. Don't worry Mom."

Zelda looked at her son and forced a weak smile. "Thanks for coming up here. I know it'll mean a lot to Gwen."

"Hey…this is my first time becoming an uncle," Georgie smiled. "I couldn't miss that."

Suddenly the door to the room opened and Jack walked in, his face colorless and his body shaking. He looked at Gwen's family and he could barely speak, "The baby's here," his voice shook. "He's little…only five pounds, but the doctor thinks he's okay. He seems to be breathing on his own."

"Thank God," Zelda cried as she rushed up to her son-in-law and hugged him. "What about Gwen? How is she?"

"She's doing a little better," Jack said and he let his tears fall. The events of the day had been too much for him to handle emotionally. "Her…her blood pressure's coming down." He sniffled. "They said she won't be out the woods until later tonight…but they think she's going to be okay. She's asleep right now."

"That's great news," Dobie shook his son-in-law's hand and then hugged him. Then he put his arms around his wife and kissed her, "She's okay…I told you…"

"I know," Zelda let her tears fall.

Georgie looked at his brother in law, "Can we see them…Gwen or the baby?" he asked.

Jack shook his head, "They took the baby to the NICU, just to run some tests and make sure he's okay. And Gwen's not going to wake up for a while. They gave her something to knock her out. They wanted her to rest." He cleared his throat, "You all should probably go home…come back later."

"We can't leave you here alone," Zelda said gently. She could tell her son-in-law was still worried and upset over everything that had happened, and she also knew he didn't have parents of his own to depend on. She knew what that was like, and she didn't want him to feel alone. He was part of their family now.

"I'm just gonna sit here until they let me back in to see Gwen," he said.

Zelda looked at the clock and saw it was almost eleven, "Why don't we all go down to the cafeteria and have a late breakfast," she suggested. "Gwen won't wake up for a while."

Jack didn't want to go, in case his wife or son needed him, but he felt blessed that Gwen's family cared enough to include him. "Okay…" he gave in. "But not for long."

They all walked to the cafeteria and sat down at the table. No one seemed to feel like eating and their plates sat untouched before them. "So, what did you and Gwen decide to name the baby?" Zelda asked. "Did you name him John David Brenner IV?"

Jack shook his head, "No…I didn't want to do that." He sighed. "I loved my parents, but I wanted Gwen to be able to pick a name that meant something to _her_. He already has my last name…I didn't think he needed my _whole_ name."

"That's really generous of you," Zelda said honestly. "I know it wasn't easy. Your dad was a nice guy, and I know you would've loved to give the baby his name."

"He would have wanted me to make my wife happy," Jack said with a slight smile.

Zelda nodded, and she knew Jack was right. John would have wanted his son to make Gwen happy. That was the kind of guy he was. "So, what name did she pick?"

"I'd rather not say," Jack took a bite of his eggs in an attempt to avoid the conversation. "She should tell you."

"Smart choice," Georgie laughed. "Mom will shoot down whatever name you picked anyway. It's better not to tell her until it's officially on the birth certificate."

"That's not true," Zelda argued.

"You made Chatsy cry when we told you we wanted to name our first baby Priscilla," he reminded her. "That's why we ended up naming her Greta."

"No…she wanted to name her Chatsworth Priscilla and call her Prissy," Zelda cringed. "I couldn't keep my mouth shut about that one. Prissy Gillis…"

"This coming from the woman who named her kids Gwendolyn and George," he rolled his eyes.

"Your dad picked _your_ name," Zelda argued. "He was sure George McGovern was going to beat Nixon in the presidential race and you'd get to share your name with the next president," she looked and her husband. "He was _wrong_."

"_That's_ why you named me George?" he looked at his father.

Dobie shrugged, "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

Everyone laughed and Jack couldn't help but join in. He enjoyed spending time with his wife's family…his new family. He was still worried about his wife and son, but spending time with her parents and brother made him feel closer to her somehow. At that moment, he knew everything was going to be okay.


	30. Chapter 30

It was late afternoon before Gwen was awake and the hospital decided the baby was perfectly healthy and ready to meet his family. Dobie and Zelda followed their son-in-law into their daughter's room, while Georgie and his family followed close behind. The room was small, but everyone managed to crowd in. Dobie was surprised that even with his traumatic birth that the hospital didn't seem to mind so many people being around the baby, but times had changed since his own children had been born and their grandparents had been forced to look at them through the viewing window in the nursery.

Zelda hugged her daughter, "Sweetheart, how are you feeling?" she asked as she fluffed her daughter's pillow and brushed her hair out of her face.

"I'm okay…a little sore," Gwen smiled. "But my blood pressure is normal. The doctor wants to monitor me for a while, but I can go home in a week."

"Where's the baby?" Gracie asked. She was excited to see her new cousin.

"They're checking him out in the NICU," Jack explained. "They want to check him every few hours just to make sure his oxygen levels are normal, but so far he's been fine. They'll bring him back in a minute."

Chatsy was holding her son who at five months weighed almost sixteen pounds. "Gwen, I can't believe he's only five pounds. He must be so small."

"He is," Gwen smiled, "But he's perfect." She looked at her mother, "I never knew I could love someone so much."

"I know," Zelda smiled. "It's a good feeling."

The door squeaked open and the nurse wheeled in the isolette and put it beside Gwen's bed. She smiled at the family, but left them all alone. Jack picked up his son and kissed him before handing him to his wife. Everyone stared as Gwen held the tiny baby, his dark curly hair was the only thing visible beneath is blue blanket. Gwen pulled back the blanket from her son's face and smiled, "Here he is…" she whispered. "What do you think?"

"Aunt Gwen," Greta said softly. "He's so cute. He's teeny."

Dobie smiled watching his daughter cradle his new grandson, "He's perfect Princess. Absolutely perfect."

"I can't believe I'm an uncle," Georgie said and he winked playfully at his sister. "It's about time."

Gwen laughed, "If I had known how much I'd love him, I would have done this a long time ago."

"No…now is perfect," Zelda smiled and touched her grandson's little pink fingers. "This was the right time for you to become a mom."

"You can hold him," Gwen handed the baby to her mother and Zelda held the baby boy close to her and walked over so her husband could see him better.. "Can you bring his blanket…when you come back tomorrow?"

"Of course," Zelda smiled at her grandson. "I should have brought it tonight."

"It's okay…tomorrow is soon enough," Gwen took her husband's hand and watched as her family admired her son.

"What's his name?" Georgie asked. "Mom's been dying to know."

"Well," Gwen explained. "I figured he's a part of all of us…everyone in this room. I know I spent an awful lot of time away from home, not really being the daughter, sister, or aunt all of you deserved. But now that the baby's here…I just want us all to be a family again…"

"We've always been a family," Dobie hugged his daughter. "Even if you were clear across the country. We love you…we always have."

"I know that Daddy," Gwen nodded. "But, I just felt like I pushed you all away while I tried to live my own life, and I know now that I was wrong. I needed you…all of you. And my baby needs you. He needs his family. And I wanted to honor all of you…all of _us_…with his name," She looked at her husband and he smiled at her and put his hand on her shoulder. "His name is Gillis John Brenner," she smiled. "We're going to call him Gil."

"Awe…Gil is a cute name," Gracie smiled.

"Yeah…I like it," Greta agreed.

"We thought John for Jack's family and Gillis for ours," Gwen explained.

Zelda smiled at her grandson, "Do you like your name, Gil?" she asked him and he cooed at her. She looked at her daughter and smiled, "He seems happy with it."

"What do you think, Daddy?" Gwen asked, hoping for her father's approval.

"I think your grandpa would be so proud to have his great-grandson carry on the Gillis name," he kissed his daughter on the cheek. "And, I think you're going to be a great mom. Gil is lucky to have you."

Later that night Dobie and Zelda walked into their house. After the hustle and bustle of the hospital, the house seemed dark and still. They both sat on the living room sofa and said nothing, just enjoying the silence. After a while, Dobie turned to his wife and sighed, "It's been a long day."

"A very long day," Zelda agreed. "Dobie…"' she let her tears fall, "I was scared to death. I was so sure she wasn't going to make it…that the baby wasn't going to make it…"

"I know honey," he hugged her close and kissed her. "But they're both okay."

Zelda nodded, "Gil is just the tiniest baby I think I've ever seen."

"He'll grow, faster than we want him to probably," Dobie said truthfully. "Why do you think she named him Gillis? Do you really think she felt that isolated from the family? Because if she did…I feel like a terrible father."

"I think Gwen's always _wanted_ to be isolated," Zelda admitted. "She loves us, but she always wanted more…more than she could get here…like there was something better out there…"

"I always thought she took after you," Dobie said honestly. "But I think in a lot of ways…she's just like me."

Zelda nodded, "I've been telling you that since the day she was born." She smiled, "But having this baby…it's made her realize how much her family means to her. How much we love her. I think that's why she named the baby Gillis. It was her way of saying 'I love you.' Not just to us, but to Georgie and Chatsy and the kids, and even to little Gil."

"I guess you're right," Dobie smiled. "He is cute…isn't he? But he doesn't really look like a Gillis. He looks like Jack..."

"I don't know," Zelda disagreed. "I think he has that weak chin, the one _you_ gave our daughter…" she laughed.

"My _father's_ chin," Dobie laughed. Then he kissed his wife, "I guess Gillis _is_ the perfect name for him."

Zelda smiled, "I guess so." She stood up, "I'm hungry…let's get a snack from the kitchen." Dobie followed his wife into the kitchen where they had spent more days and night than he could even remember. Zelda pulled sandwich fixings from the refrigerator, "Remember when the appliances in here were all green?" she asked.

"That was a long time ago," Dobie answered. "What made you think about that?"

"Gwen mentioned it a while back," Zelda made the sandwiches and then sat at the table. "It doesn't _feel_ like it was so long ago."

"I know," Dobie agreed. "Seems like nowadays nothing ever feels like it was as long ago as it really was." He rolled his eyes, "That probably didn't even make sense."

Zelda laughed, "It made perfect sense to me." She leaned across the table and kissed her husband, "I'm grateful for everything we've been through together…because even with all the problems we've had, my life has still been absolutely amazing."

"Mine too," Dobie kissed her again and smiled. "I know I've made mistakes…"

"So have I," Zelda interrupted him.

"I never should have left you," he said sadly.

"I shouldn't have let you go," she sighed.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I know that," Zelda kissed him once more. She smiled, "I have _always_ loved you."

Dobie nodded, "Let's go to bed…we need to get up early if we want to see Gwen and the baby. Didn't you promise Georgie you'd babysit for him and Chatsy tomorrow afternoon?"

Zelda nodded, "I'm beginning to think retirement is harder than working. We're going to be busier now with all our grandkids than we ever were running the store. We'll barely have two seconds alone."

"Well," Dobie put his arms around her, "We're alone now."

Zelda nodded, "Let's go to bed," she agreed, and they walked hand-in-hand up the stairs.


End file.
